Book 1: Winds of the Lost
by Savvyzz The Awesome Ninja
Summary: 5 years later- Getting bit by a mysterious demon Chihiro is whisked back and meeting Haku is exactly what she is met with. But new spirits and a God claim she's no human, but a spirit, a spirit of power. An old friend is now a villain, but she doesn't remember him at all. New spirits greet her as if they have known her for a lifetime.Follow Chihiro find the truth lost in the wind.
1. Chapter 1 The False Start

**_Hi Everyone its Savyzzz again with Winds of the Lost:) Hi just wanted to say please review :) Also as a reminder i do not own Spirited Away, except for the characters and anything else I made up. I have opened up the option for anoymous reviews so please anyone out there, includng members please review. I wann know how I'm doing :)_**

**Hi everyone and thanks for clicking on my fanfic :) I just wanna say that i do not own and of the characters or storyline. Hope ya have fun reading and please review:)**

**Intro**

Wind blowing across the fields sent ripples through the pools of grass and the sun was beating down on the dead Khohaku River. It was now just a path of rocks leading into the beyond. The clouds slowly passed over, forming shapes and figures in the sky. But the amusement park stood behind the fields holding secrets only very few knew, and one of those people was Chihiro. The adventure she had into a different world, the spirit world. The spirits she met influenced her life and made her stronger in the heart, especially the dragon that was now free because of her.

In the distance stands a young man with hair green was emeralds atop a building in the empty amusement park. He looks around the park to make sure no one is looking. When he knows it's clear he sheds his human body, letting the true spirits arise within him. "Chihiro…" he says with a sigh as the last of the transformation is complete. There stands the spirit of the Khohaku River, a powerful but yet free dragon. But being free didn't satisfy him. He grieved the return of the girl he once knew and the promise he made to return to her. But if he was to enter the human world it would upset the balance between spirit and man. What the dragon didn't know that a pair of eyes was staring at him from below. All he did was launch into the air flying toward the other person he had comfort in, Zeniba. His fur moved with the wind as he disappeared into the sky above.

" Chihiro….me get Chihiro." Said the little pair of eyes stated. The little demon crawled out from its hiding place and stared out into the sky at the dragon flying away. An even grin appeared upon its face as it made its way toward the middle of the street. It let out a screech that sounded throughout the amusement park and bathhouse. Then it just dissipated _into thin air,_ drifting away with the wind. It was heading towards its master to let him know that the dragon was flying to Swamp Bottom. And how did it know that Haku was traveling towards swamp bottom? It knew because it had been watching him for sometime now and it knew he went to Zeniba when he was upset or sad. The demon, along with the others, were planning to do something wicked that would affected the spirit and human world greatly.

* * *

"Chihiro... Chihiro wake up!" screamed a voice.

Chihiro suddenly jumped up from her seat and screamed " The answer is 2.5." She was breathing heavly and looking at her teacher. There was a moment of silence and a pin could be heard if it was dropped onto the floor. The kids burst out laughing, sending waves of laughter up and down the aisles. Chihiro's eyes then widened and she slumped back into her seat. Her desk was in the center of the room which caused the humiliation to be even worse. Chihiro just kept her head in the safety of her hands.

A ringing came from the bell and it signaled school was over.

_Finally school is over_, she thought.

But this wasnt her sanctuary just yet.

"Chihiro please stay after class for a bit." called her teacher from the front of the room. So as the kids emptied out of the room, whispering and giggling, she was left standing with her teacher.

"Chihiro you have been dozing off lately during class. Are you ok? Have your parents been fighting or is there a family issue? Cause if there is please let me know because I will be glad to help." said Mrs. Soto with a smile.

"No ma'am, i just havent got much sleep lately because..." she had to thinkof an excuse because she wasnt going to tell her teacher she was dreaming about dragons. Or that she was dreaming about a boy she once knew, with hair green as emeralds, that could fly through the sky as a dragon. Or the spirits she met five years ago in the old abonanded Amusment Park.

"Of my... new dog I got... yeah the new dog i got. It's been my reponsibility to take care of it and its been going crazy every night keeping me up really late."

"Oh ok. Just please try to get some sleep because I want you to pass the test we have on Friday."

Chihiro nodded and went back to her seat to gather her books and head off to walk home. She walked out of the room into the hallway with sunlight streaming through the window onto the the floor, refelcting off the tiles. Her feet began to carry her down the empty halls where her foots steps echoed and sounded as if a giant was walking thorugh. The front door was coming into sight and Chihiro was glad the day was over, at least for school that is. As she pushed through the front doors the sun blinded her eyes and it didn't help that there was no clouds to reflect the sunshine. It was a dry, hot day and no breezes had come through to chill the town off. But suddenly a breeze arised, a big one, that swirled Chihiro's long brown hair flying into her face. Struggling she tried to get it back in place and once she did she wasn't alone. There in front of her stood a small black figure, a demon. The demon snarled with a grin flashing all its teeth. But the odd figure was that it didn't have eyes which creeped Chihiro out even more then she already was. It stood at about two feet tall with thin legs and arms. But its hands had claws like butcher knives moving back and forth.

"What do you want?" Chihiro stuttered, trying to get her words out.

"Me get Chihiro." It said.

Again a strong breeze blew and the demon dissipated into the air, seperating it into small pieces like torn pieces of paper. The dark particles soon disappered and Chihiro started to run away. She breathed heavly and tears came out of her eyes. Why was a demon talking and hunting her down is what she wanted to know. Chihiro sped through the courtyard heading towards her house. She wanted to be in the safety of her house before the demon came back. She passed trees, bushes, benches, and the Kohaku fountain. The fountain was dedicated to the once alive Kohaku River. Chihiro usually stood by the fountain and talked to the spirit of Haku. She still trusted him that he would come back to her, that they would never be alone. Five years didn't matter to her because she still believed the promise he made and he would never forget it.

Suddenly she felt a weight on her shoulder and she turned to look.

"Me get Chihiro... Me get Chihiro... Me will bit Chihiro."

"Leave me alone you ugly ass thing." Chihiro screamed slapping it. But her hand just went right through it. It faded as her hand went through and faded back when the hand exited its body.

"Hehe..." the demon said. It grabbed Chihiros head which caused Chihiro to fall to the ground. A cracking sounded as soon as she hit, it was her leg. Screaming and fighting the demon at the same time wasn't easy; flinging her hands at it while it pulled at her yellow shirt taring through it. Chihiro swung her hand and the demon caught it twisting it in a full rotation. But her leg was still avalible so she swung it up almost hitting the demon in the head; it just disappeared again avoiding the attack. Screaming and growling were coming from both of them. Finally the demon got a claw in and it held it against Chihiro's slim neck.

"Chihiro will go bye ,bye."

The claw felt cold against her neck sending chills down her back and it slowly bent the skin causing it to give way. Blood seeped out dripping like a pitter patter of rain on the roof. It slid down her neck onto the ground as Chihiro eyed it. Chihiro's body didn't dare to move because one the claw would just cut through her neck and two if she did escape it would just follow her through the breeze again. The blood seeped through the crack and traveled through the spaces in the pavement. Chihiro tried to let out a scream but her voice didn't flow out. The demon removed the claw and grabbed Chihiro by the head.

Moving the hair she once fixed a few minutes before. It turned its head and leaned in towards her neck. Eyes from the head followed as the demon leaned in towards the lower neck. Suddenly a sharp pain seeped into the neck, releasing venom which soon flowed through the blood stream towards the main parts of the body, like the brain. Chihiro looked at the sky one last time. Wishing that why can't her life be normal. Why did she have to be involed with spirits and what did this demon want. What would her life be like if she never crossed the Kohaku River? She regreated thinking that but it was what she really wondered. Her eyesight soon began to fail, the feeling in her arms and legs began to cease, and it was harder to breath. Her lungs lagged to get air in and her eyes tryed to see. But they couldn't and Chihiro took one more look at the sky. Then everything faided and went pitch black; releasing her into an unfamiliar world of darkness that she wasn't going to wake up from.


	2. Chapter 2 Aura

The water of the great ocean rippled as he flew over it. He loved to feel the oceans water against his scales as he flew. The sun beat down on the water relfecting off of it, causing Haku's scales to seem magnificent in the sunlight. It was a long trip towards Zeniba's house in Swamp Bottom, even though he was flying through the air. Flying burdened him because the absence of Chihiro was impulsing. Not having her whisper into his ears or having her soft tender body on his back, as she grasped his horns grieved at his heart.

_If it were only possible for Chihiro to be here now I would give up anytihng to see the love and tenderness in her eyes. Does she even remember me? Does she remember the last time she grasped my head before she crossed over the river? Does she know..._

Truding on, she got closer and closer to Zeniba's house. It was the only place where he could see how Chihiro was doing. Due to the purple band Zeniba made for her, which flowed with magic, he could check her feelings and pieces of Chihiro's thoughts. Chihiro didn't know this but Haku found out a month after Chihiro left, when he visited Zeniba's house. Haku was not cynical about Chihiro's feelings and he didn't want to stalk her. He just wanted to make sure she was ok in her perplexed world and that she didn't get caught up in trouble. You couldn't blame the dragon for being overprotective because that was just the way he was and he wanted to make sure his dear friend was safe.

* * *

"No Face please come and sit down at the table and eat. You have been scrubbing the floors all day and you need to take a break." Said Zeniba, with a tone that she almost sounded like she was pleading.

"Uh...UhUhUhhhhhhhhh.."

No Face shook his head fiercly. He didn't want to go the the table and eat. He didn't like starting something and not finishing it. That was just the way he was and it was one of the morals he held close to his heart.

"Oh fine No Face. Have it your way."

And with a wave of her finger the scrubber flew out of No Face's hand slidding across the floor. The bucket was soon to follow sliding itself towards the sink. Then No Face was lifted into the air into a standing position. Zeniba leaned back into her chair laughing loudly. No Face let out a breath of annoyance and ignorance. But what No Face didn't know that there was a chair behind him and it caught Zeniba's eye. Again with another flick of her finger the chair slid across the floor silently hitting No Face in his rear end causing him to plop right down in the chair.

"Uhh.. Uh."

"I'm sorry No Face i didn't mean to have the chair hit you that hard."

With that the chair flung itself onto the opposite site of the table across from Zeniba. Either way No Face was going to have to eat one way or another. Zeniba would find a way to make him eat and he didn't want to find out what she would do to him.

"Now will you eat No Face?"

"Uhhhhh" he said with a groan.

"That's my good darling."

Soon food was flying through the air and Zeniba was preparing a late lunch. Even though the sun was setting gleams through the window and it was dissapearing No Face still needed to eat. Eggs were flipping in the air, pans were bouncing across the stove, and glasses were filling themselves. No Face watched as his meal was prepared fascinated by the way Zeniba could prepare it so quickly. The food then placed itself on the table neatly infront of the two of them and Zeniba leaned back into her chair.

_I still got my touch after 27,246 years of living. Hmmmm..._

With that both of them started to eat. Filling their stomachs to capacity and feeling refreshed at the size of the meal. But No Face was digging into his food like a ravage animal.

"No Face you will use your manners as long as you are here. It's been five years since Chi..."

Suddenly a frown appeared on her face which exposed all her wrinkles to show. She longed for her "granddaughter" to be here,she longed for the girl to yell "granny" and squeeze her to death. She couldn't believe how much she missed Chihiro and how great an effect it had on her.

"Uh?" Said No face looking at Zeniba confused.

"I'm sorry No Face. It's just that i miss Chihiro. You know what i mean right? You became close to her in the time that you were with her."

"Uh" said No Face agreeing.

Zeniba finally thought it was a good time to see how Chihiro was doing. She cleared everything from in front of her, sliding the plates and glasses to the side. She placed her hands in front of her onto the table across of each other. Closing her eyes she concentrated and a flow of energy appeared between her hands. That energy connected the body together as one allowing Zeniba to enter the state of mind. Once Zeniba was in the state of mind she connected herself to the human she was intact to. Or otherwise she connected herself to the human world. This allowed her to peer into Chihiro's aura.

Zeniba entered a world of darkness, searching for Chihiro's aura. Aura's of love, content, happiness, grieve, and evil flew past her as she looked. She looked and looked all over the place for Chihiro's aura but it was no where to be found.

_It has to be in here somewhere..._

Then Zeniba saw a small fading aura. She looked more closely at it and examined it. Feeling it's enegry to see if it was Chihiro's. It was definetly Chihiro's aura. But why was it so small and fragile? Zeniba began to examine its existense and she saw it was balancing itself between two worlds, the spirit and human world. It couldn't deicded which one to fall into. It was confused and thoughtless it seemed. Zeniba checked for thoughts or feelings in Chihiro's aura but it only contained a blank feeling, a sense of nothingness.

_What is happening…Why can't I sense her…..Is she ok…she is fine Zeniba…..She is just fine_

Zeniba believed what her heart told her, that Chihiro was fine. That nothing was wrong and she was ok. But suddenly a strong emitting light shined and the aura was strong. But then it slowly faded, faded into a small light. Then it just died and Chihiro's aura was gone. Zeniba knew that her heart was wrong and that Chihiro wasn't ok. Another aura took the place of Chihiro's aura and with that Zeniba lost the connection in the state of mind. She was whisked back into reality which No Face was sitting infront of her. The energy stopped flowing and Zeniba brought her hands to her side.

"Uh?" Said No Face worried

"..."

Zeniba just sat there staring into a realm which No Face didn't know. Her eyes wide with fright and horror scared No Face a lot. Nothing changed as No Face tried shaking Zeniba and screaming in her face except one thing. A tear slowly ran down her face across her wrinkles onto the table stinging the wood.

_It can't be... She...is...gone_

* * *

Haku could finally see Zeniba's house from up above.

_Finally I'm almost there._

He zoomed over the trees continuing to close into the view of the house. It felt good to him to finally be here. A portion of the grief that was in his heart would be lifted since he would be able to check out how Chihiro was doing.

Soon he landed under the lamp which lit the way for him last time Chihiro was with him. It jumped down from its post and bowed to the mighty river god before him. Haku returned the bow back respectfully.

"Thank you."

Still as a dragon, he walked up to Zeniba's house. As graceful as he was he huried towards the door. His feet sunk into the dirt lighty and it felt good to him to be back on the ground. Transforming back into his human body felt good to. He soon reached for the door and grasped the door knob. _Wait i have to knock. Silly me_. Haku polietly raised his hand and knocked on the door twice. Waiting he decided to count

1..2...3...4

_Why isn't she opening the door? She can usually sense when im coming can't she?_

So Haku turned the knob and let the door creep open by itself. His eyes widened in fright at the sight he saw. There was Zeniba horrified and No Face trying to get her to pay attention.

"Zeniba! No Face what happened?" Haku yelled.

"Uhhh... Uh...Uh Uhh ugh uh.."

"She what?"

"Uhh uhh uhh."

"She visited Chihiro through the state of mind but then she came back and Zeniba was horrified?"

"Uh" was all No Face said in reply.

With that Haku rushed across the wood floors towards Zeniba. He was bewildered by the sight of her facial experssion.

"Zeniba answer me!" Haku screamed as he shaked her shoudler continuoaly.

He took his hands off and produced a wave of magic in his hands and placed it on her back.

"_In the name of the wind and water within thee, unbind her."_ Those were the same words he used with Chihiro the last time he saw her five years ago. Zeniba then stopped staring into the beyond and looked at Haku.

"Haku I'm glad your here." she said with a smile.

"Zeniba what happened? I demand an answer now at this instance."

"Ohh.. Haku I can't" With that the old witch broke down again and started crying.

"Zeniba please tell me what happened."

"Young dragon she isn't there anymore."

"Who isn't there?"

"..."

"Zeniba tell me 'who' is."

"Chihiro..."

"What do you mean Chihiro isn't there anymore?"

"Haku i checked for her aura. It was small and faint and balanced between two worlds. It was confused and lost. I tryed to see what was going on but then it just disappeared Haku. Haku ,Chihiro is gone..."

"It can't be. Chihiro is fine and she's not gone!" Haku screamed stirring up winds blowing them around the kitchen.

"I'm sorry Haku."

"Chihiro... Chihiro...Chihiro!" Haku broke down crying onto the floor. Dragons rarely cryed and when they did it was immense.

"Chihiro please come back!"

* * *

Hey everyone sorry for the long wait LOL. i was typing my fanfic and all the sudden half of it got deleted and then i had to retype it all over so i was pissed. But thank god i fully typed it up again and here i the 2nd chapter to Winds of the Lost.

**Serendipital- thanks for the tips and please keep reviewing my chapters. i didn't really check this one that much so keep coming up with the tips :)**

**Saissister- Hey thanks for being the first one 2 review u r da best and here is the second chapter :)**

**Well everyone out there i just wanna let you know again i don't own any of the characters in the movie and the storyline. but if i happen to make up characters along the way they are mine grrr... :P**


	3. Chapter 3 The Chat

There sat Yubaba at her filthy covered desk, with papers stacked on top of one another, ink blotches, draws opened and filled to capacity, pens scattered, and open - tipped bottles of potion. She sat there with salty fluids dripping out of every pour in her face, as hands cupped the tiresome face. Her eyes dropped, overlapping itself with wrinkles, as they exposed the crows feet. Yubaba, after several straight hours, was trying to finish the monthly income and outcome for the bathhouse. It hadn't been going well since tiredness was setting in earlier then usual. But worse of all, the bathhouse itself had been hectic because of all the customers coming in. Well of course it was good that so many customers were coming in but it was a lot for Yubaba to take in all at once. Many important spirits had arrived in the past week and some caused so much chaos that it was disastrous, especially the river god that arrived a few days ago. It got all the spirits throughout the bathhouse worked up because it had gold and when the spirits saw gold it was like heaven to them. They sung and danced as the river god passed through and in turn the spirits got gold. The spirits would attack one another, scratching and pulling ones hair, they would dive across the floors into other bathhouse rooms disturbing other customers, and they would beg the river god for more gold while he was taking his bath. Yubaba would have to come down from her office and keep an eye on the river god and the workers, but the Yunas would specifically be paid attention to because they were the ones bathing the river god.

"Why can't I just have a break for once and not worry about a single thing?" Yubaba mumbled in disgrace.

"_I can help you... hehe"_said a voice that only Yubaba could hear. Yubaba stood up, knocking her chair down in the motion, and looked around the room. Without looking and a flick of her old bony finger, the chair flew back into place. She moved things around the rooms and shifted the curtains to check if they were anyone behind them. The fire place was burst up a notch so the flames could light up the room better. The flames lashed out spreading shadows and light across the distorted parts of the room. Yubaba's shadow grew longer as the flames grew in their hearth.

"Who's there?... Come out now!"

"_That wouldn't be much fun if I showed myself and don't you understand that I'm talking through your mind you old hag of a witch. I thought that a witch of your age in time would be worthy to recognize that, but I guess not. Can't you sense where I am? Use your powers you old hag for the Gods sake."_

With that Yubaba became furious and her hands curled into fists. Her hair soon started to fall out of the neatly placed bun, hanging down loosely on her shoulders. and her clothes danced around because of her obstinate energy radiating from her body.

" First of all I am not and old hag and second of all I can feel you and you are not far from here. So why don't you carry your sad old self up to my office and speak to me face to face. I would also advise in the near future that you don't disrespect a witch of a bathhouse. You know us witches can become very nasty and I don't want my customers to see me like that."

With that everything became silent and the feeling or presence of that spirit was now gone. It couldn't be felt by Yubaba's power and she tried searching. She knew the spirit or whatever it was just wouldn't run off like that. A sudden wind disturbed Yubaba's concentration and disrupted the organized papers on her desk. They flew with a mighty flow whirling around one specific part of the carpet near the fireplace. The papers swirled in the form of a vertex, slowly revealing a shadowy figure beyond it. The figure used the swirling papers as a cover as it converged into it's true form. Yubaba stared silently at the forming silhouette at the center of the expensive and delicate carpet. Her eyes remained calm and just watched in curiosity at it._So it isn't as big of a chicken as I thought._

Speaking loudly the voice echoed the surrounding area complete ling the final phase of its transformation. " I advise you that I am not a big chicken and I'm here to look for someone. Someone that was here quite a while ago and I know that you are very familiar with." The papers slowly fell to the ground in a circle.

"Who might that someone be and who are you to care who came in and out of this bathhouse?"

"Oh, I'm not asking for you to tell me who came here a while ago. I'm ordering you to tell the name of a certain human that came here a while back and I highly suggest that you corporate with me. Or there will be a heavy toll to come if you do not," said the dark shimmering spirit across from Yubaba.

Yubaba opened her mouth, but then quickly caught her tongue._I can't tell her about Chihiro. Wait.. Oh no it can read my thoughts._Oh yes I can read your thoughts old hag and thank you for telling me the name. But I don't want you to intervene in my plans old lady. Henchmen please come on in and comfort Mrs. Yubaba as well as you can. Make her feel right at home." It said with a profound tone. At the sound of the orders black creatures slowly crawled out of the floor, gripping the carpet as a stage hold to pull them up. There stood six black short miniature demons. They didn't look like much but when angered they could release great masses of evil that sent the greatest of spirits into curling balls of horror.

"We will do are best Master."

They said in unison and with that they bowed proudly. But that wasn't the end of it. The dark spirit raised its hand and said a spell that Yubaba couldn't hear. Soon dark swirling bands of electricity wrapped around the sprits hand. It aimed it's hands straight for Yubaba showing absolutely no facial expression. The electricity cracked around the spirits forearm as it seemed that it wanted to jump off of it. Yubaba started to form a ball of fie in her hands to protect herself. She wasn't about to let an uninvited guest destroy her bathhouse. _Stupid human this is happening because of you. But for your sake I will try to protect you and do everything I can. Chihiro I am sorry but if I fail to know that I truly made an effort please know that I tryed._

"Awww.. look at the pathetic little old witch promising someone something that she can't keep." With that the electricity shot out and wrapped itself around Yubaba. She hurtled out a blood curling scream trying to resist the pain. " I especially don't like when humans don't stay in the place I need them to stay in especially this one." The black electricity manifested itself into some kind of rope like thing then burst itself into a bubble consuming Yubaba within it. The demons quickly gathered around and stood there ground protecting the prisoner from other bathhouse workers. The black sprit then waved a salute to Yubaba.

"Who are you?" said Yubaba fiercly.

"Oh im someone who doesn't like when a human cheats death and i don't like when the one power i need escapes from my grasp. So that's who i am old granny and farwell for now. "And as quickly as the sprit appeared it disapperaed into the night. Trying to find the human she needed so badly and the human that she wanted to get revenge on as well. Then there sat Yubaba in a big black bubble of spiraling energy. Trying to contact Chihiro through the state of mind at least trying to protect her, but a knock came rasping at the door.

"Madam Yubaba I'm coming in. I have a very important message about Haku. He has gone somewhere and a big problem has aroused." The voice sounded from the other side of the door not knowing what was happening. The door soon crept open when the voice didn't hear anything. There stood Lin looking around the room to see it full of demons and Yubaba trapped. She tried turning away and running but before she could even plant her foot on the ground demons attacked her from all sides. Clawing and grasping her clothes pulling her into the room in the motion. Lin opened her mouth to scream but the demons quickly shoved her to the floor and one of them bit her in the side of the neck. Her eyesight and feeling began to fade like Chihiro's did and she passed out with blood staining the carpet as well as Lin's clothes. The demons cleared the body away into a corner of the room and as they were doing it one of them looked up and stared at Yubaba.

"Me will get Chihiro old hag."

* * *

"Hmm it's very interesting."

"Yes, I agree that it's very interesting and the way she emits it, it's extraordinary."

The two voices discussed in solitude as they tried to figure out what they should write down about this being. They observed lots of beings like this one but this being had something different about her and they were eager to find out. They examined its clothing and it's being as a whole. They looked at the aura and tested its feelings. The being mind seemed to be confused and it just wasn't right at the moment. The being wasn't in the realm but at the same time it was. The being heard the voices, but they were faded to an extent. It awoke from a sudden slumber it fell into not so long ago. It layed on a black void that wasn't really flat, it just seemed to go one forever and ever. The two spirits looked to make sure that the being was still asleep but it wasn't. It layed there with it's eyes flickering looking around confused at the sight of the dark black void of nothingness.

"Where am I and how did i get here. Who are you guys? Wait are you guys spirits? You can't be spirits, I can't be back. Why does my life have to be in turmoile everytime i leave my house? Ughh!" It said quickly trying to complete it's thoughts out while freaking out.

The spirits looked at each other and shook their head. They knew it was their time to go and they had no buiness being around this being any longer. Both of them grabbed each others hands and said a spell. "_While these eyes see us , replace us with the wind and air, so we may be gone."_ As soon as that was said they faded into the black void, disappearing leaving the being alone.

"Wait! Please don't leave me! I have no idea where i am! Wait, and where am I anyway." The being looked confused as it sat up on its knees. Looking around it seemed that the being was just in like an outer space kind of setting. It looked at it's hands to see that they were see through and that she was faded like the surrounding void. Its clothes were still intact, but a striking pain was sensed throughout the side of her neck. The being reached up and placed a hand on the spot that hurt and it felt a welt or some kind of cut. The cut oozed a kind of substance that the being didn't realize. The being was completly concentrated on the cut on the side of it's neck not to notice the spirit standing a few feet away. THe spirit was not like the other two that were there a few minutes before. It was of great importance and it protected the realm itself. It was the Realm God.

"Young being might you please tell me your name?" a voice sounded form behind the being. The being quickly turned to see that finally another face was visible in this black void. It was also concerned what would happen if it stayed longer, but it decided to trust the spirit before it.

"My... name is... Chihiro Ogniro."

"Oh thats a very pretty name young one and what kind of spirit are you precisly and what kind of buiness do you have here?" It boomed in a voice that amazed and frightented Chihiro at the same time.

"I don't know how i got here. I was bit by a demon after i exited school and..."

"Wait did you just say school?"

"Yes."

"Are you a human?"

"Yes, i am a human but how did i end of here in the spirit world?"

"For me to tell you how you ended up here. You need to tell me your full story." And with that both of them stared face to face. THe spirit guided Chihiro off to a place to talk. It took her to the den where it dwelled and kept an eye on it's realm. There both of them sat and Chihiro begun to tell the story of what happened to her.

* * *

**Hey everyone here is the 3rd chapter ! And thx for everyone who has been reviewing so far. Hope this is good and please tell me hapw I did and goodbye for now :P**


	4. Chapter 4  The Future

Sitting at the cedar wood table both of them talked and talked. Asking the basic questions someone would ask when they first met someone. Chihiro was a little concerned that she accepted to go with the Realm God, but she had grown more brave and strong over the 5 years. She learned not to take crap from anyone anymore and she could take care of herself. That was a major change for the little wimpy girl who entered the spirit world 5 years ago. But she sometimes wore a mask of courage and bravery, under it was sometimes the little ten year old she used to be. The Realm God was a sort of dark dragon with golden eyes. He was around the same size Haku was when she last saw him. He had lushes of fur down his back and sharp teeth lining his mouth. His horns curled with a crooked angle and his tail swiftly layed on the floor.

" So what exactly happened to you before you blacked out in the Human World and what happened to you in the previous time you were here, in the Spirit World?"

Chihiro looked at the god and answered swiftly with a long story about how she meet her friends in the spirit world. About how her father planned on taking a short cut to their new house and they ended up in the old amusment park. How her parents ate the food of the spirits and they turned into pigs. Then how Haku helped her through trouble and how Lin helped her as well. Saving the bathhouse seemed to be an important part of the story to the Realm God. He nodded in agreement to what she said.

"and i passed out into a world of blackness and ended up here."

"Can you describe what the demon looked like?"

"It has a somewhat small, petite size. It had claws and vicious teeth. But what creeped me out the most is that it didn't have any eyes. I guess it could see me cause it used like sonar or something like bats do."

"Ahh i get it. It sounds somewhat like a Mangren Shadow Sprit. They usually don't have eyes but they have venom that person the thing they bite into some sort of coma. Whatever it bit goes into a deep slumber sort of coma. The type you went into seems to be a death dream."

"Wha...?"

"You didn't let me finish young one. I'll answer your questions in time. The coma your in, like i said, is a death dream. A death dream is when the victim goes into a deep knocked out slumber and they end up here, in a realm. A realm is where lost spirits or obserevers come or end up because their soul is lost. But when i approached you, you looked different then most spirits that end up here and if you are human you shouldn't be a spirit. You should be a lost soul, which is very different from a spirit and you already know that. That is why i asked you what your buiness was here because you looked suspicious. Demons don't bite a human for no reason. There has to be some sort of reason why it bit you. Did you do anything while you were he before in the spririt world that could have angered another spirit?"

"Umm.. yes.. but the spirits who were mad at me soon forgived me for saving the bathhouse. I don't know why a demon would bite me and it's five years later. Why wouldn't the demon have bitten me five years ago when it all happened? Why would it bite me on a random day after i got out of school? I truly don't understand why any of this is going on."

Chihiro looked at the Realm God confused. She wanted to find out answers really badly and she wanted to know how everyone else was doing like Lin or Haku. Did they move on with their lives or did they keep her in memory and await her return? Would they be happy that she could finally see them? Would Haku even care to talk to her? But the Realm God's main concern was that why Chihiro was glowing. It mean that she had buiness to do and she could no longer be in his presence.

"I'm sorry young one but you can't be here anymore. My heart tells me you have some buiness to do before we can finish this discussion."

"What?"

"Black void open up now."

With that the void under Chihiro opened up into a grass field. Chihiro looked at the Realm God one last time before she floated down.

"Wait, please tell me what I'm supposed to do. Don't let me go without knowing anything."

"I'm sorry but i can't help you from here. You are on your own from now on young one and please be safe. I'm also sorry that our chat was so short in the time being. But you have something special and different about you and i hope you find out what it is and i can see you doing great things in your future."

The Realm god faded into the sky as Chihiro touched down onto the grass. She stood there alone with the lasting words from the Realm God. "_i can see you doing great things in your future" he said._ Chihiro turned to see that she was on top of a hill and looking over she could see that she was near Swamp Bottom. She could see, from the very spot that she was, Zeniba;s house. Her heart skipped a few beats and she was happy she knew she had a place she could go from here. But a rumbling sound soounded from behind her and it sounded like it was getting closer

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**Hey sorry this is a short chapter and i will be putting the 5th chapter up sometime 2night so hope you enjoy this one. Thx for everyone that reviewed so far.**


	5. Chapter 5 The Created and Determined

"Zeniba check again for her aura! It has to be in the state of mind somewhere. An aura can't just disappear into nothing, its impossible." Haku was screaming at Zeniba to keep checking for Chihiro's aura. He wanted to know that she was ok wherever she was.

"Fine Haku, for the god's sake I'll check. Just please be quiet for two minutes." So right then and there Zeniba concentrated and went back into the state of mind where she was about an hour ago. Concentrating she looked viciously around the black void for the missing aura that died an hour ago. Fumbling around she searched and searched and towardst he back there it was. The aura was now there again and as bright as ever. Zeniba checked it's feelings and thoughts. She saw that Chihiro was doing fine by the way she was feeling. Zeniba also checked for her location and her signal was nearby. She stopped for a second and thought

_Wait she's nearby.. that means that she is int he spirit world at the moment and somewhere around the perimeter of the house. This is great new and i know that she is ok._

Zeniba whisked herself back into reality with her eyes gleaming at Haku. He looked at her face and he saw hope.

"Zeniba did you find it and if you did, is she ok?" Haku quickly spurted out trying to look calm. But at the moment he didn't look calm at all.

"Haku I'm glad to say that i did find Chihiro's aura.." Zeniba said as Haku's face gleamed with excitment. "and she is somewhere around the perimeter of the house."

"Really thats great. Wait, did you just say she is around the perimeter of the house. She is in the Spirit World!" Haku's face drastically changed in an instance. He wanted Chihiro to be ok but not to be in the Sprit World. He told her not to come back. He told her not to ever come back until he came to get her. What had happened to her that made her end up back here. What happened that caused her aura to die then an hour later come back up and spring to life.

"Zeniba I'm going to go look for her and I'll bring her back here as soon as possible."

"Wait Haku I have to..." But Haku was already out the back door into the grass field. He began to shed his skin and let his true soul free. The horns formed and his feathers appeared in an orderly fashion and along with that his eyes twinked in the suns rising gleam.

_Where can she be?_

He looked around the area of the house and he didn't spot any sign of anytihng living. He decided to look around from an aerial view. So his body lifted off the ground and into the hands of the wind carried him high enough to see miles around. Looking in every direction he could see towns, villages, forests, rivers, and someone standing on top of a hill.

_Wait there someone on top of that hill. Can it be Chihiro? I wonder what she looks like after the past five years? Oh shut up Haku and go see if its her._

Waving through the wind he could see the person more clearly and it was a female. Th female seemed to be tall and slender with long flowing hair waving in the wind. The grass was waving around her and the wind ruffled her clothes as well. But the girl seemed to be paying attention to something that wasn't there. The girl seemed to be somewhat spooked at something Haku couldn't figure out. She was looking around in concern and didn't notice a giant dragon rearing up behind her. Haku flashed his tail up so it didn't touch the ground and he landed peacefully on the ground. The grass seemed to move out of the way for the river spirit. The dragon looked one more time at the girl befroe speaking through his mind.

_Chihiro is that you?_

"Umm where is this voice coming from. Please come out and reveal yourself." The girl looked around in front of her seeming to be reallly scared at the moment in time.

_Why don't you turn around and see for yourself who is talking._ Haku smirked as he thought the message to the girl before him. The girl turned around with hair flowing into her face. Her eyes widened in fright for a few seconds for she realized who she was facing. She covered her mouth with her hand and tears streamed down her face.

"Haku?"

_Yes its me Chihiro._

With that answer the girl spread her arms out and raced towards the dragon before her. She wrapped them tighly around his mane , crying into it as the same time.

"Haku i missed you so much."

_I did to Chihiro._

"Please don't leave me again." She said turning back into the little ten year old that was here more then five years ago.

_I promise i won't._

Haku looked at the girl before him. She had grown so much last time he layed eyes on her. He thought about the times they had together last time they saw each other. He grinned showing his teeth and nuzzled his head into Chihiro's arms. His eyes blinked and a salty droplet of water slid down his face through his feathers. He finally felt relieved that the girl he grieved was back. Chihiro looked up to now see a boy standing infront of her. She realize that she was holding his face. She instanly removed her hands and wrapped them around his body. Haku returned the hug to Chihiro. They stood there for minutes hugging the bodies that didn't touch in years. The silence was inturupted by a voice.

"Haku why didn't you come get me?"

"Chihiro what do you mean."

"Why didn't you come and take me away from my world. You promised that we would see each other again but you never ended up coming back."

"Chihiro I'm sorry i couldn't come i had things that were going on." Chihiro's heart suddenly sunk down to the depth of her body. He cared more about other things then keeping the promise he made.

"Like what!" She yelled. "You had a promiseto keep and you didn't. "

"But.."

"Haku..." She said sternly. "Get away from me," hissing at him in a grieving tone. Haku stepped back and created a space between him and Chihiro.

"Chihiro you don't understand i couldn't coe. I wasn't aloud. I didn't know i couldn't visit you. I thought at the time i could cross the human- sprit barrier but I couldn't."

"So you made a promise you couldn't keep" She whispered. " I understand Haku. I truly understand."

"Chihiro I'm sorry. But your here now aren't you." He reahed out to grab her hand but he felt nothing. Her hand was faded along with the rest of here body. She was dissipating into the wind.

"Chihiro. Oh my lord gods. What is happening to you."

"Haku leave me alone." She looked down at her hand to see what he was talking about. She screamed in turn at the sight of her body. " Haku help me please." She reached out trying to grasp his hand. He tried to grap it in return but it ust wasn't working. But a voice was suddenly heard. But it came from the winds.

_We want her back._

Haku took notice to the voice and looked horrified. The winds were trying to take Chihiro, but what for. She had no reason to be captured by the winds. "No." He replied

_She is ours and we want her back._Chihiro was now almost completly gone and faded tears dripped down from her face.

" Let her go now! I declare that the gods unfree her in the name of Rem. Let thee drown in death for eternity. Let thee die in the name of the Wind." A choking sound occured and a flash of light appeared. Haku shiedled his eyes from the light.

When the light soon died down he removed his hands. There before him was Chihiro. She had here hands out in the air controling something. That something was water. She got it from the ground and waved it around her as a shield. Haku widened his eyes in disbelief.

"She can control water..."

Chihiro looked at herself startled and dropped her hands and with that the water fell as well.

"Chihiro what just happened?"

"Umm i think i just controlled water."

"But your not a sprit."

"Actually I now am."

"Why?"

"Well I had a demon bite me and now I'm here. My human body is in a Death Dream or some sort of coma. I'm not going to be able to wake up from it, from what it seems. In about a week or so my human body is going to die and I'll remain here forever." She looked at the ground with a frown.

"But why didn a demon bite you in the first place?"

"That is one thing i have no idea about."

"Who told you all that info as well?"

"The realm god did and he was the one who said my future has sometihng in store for me."

"You were in a realm but thats only for sprits. You should be a lost soul right now. Not a sprit in the Spirit World."

"Haku I;m sorry I don't know why I'm here. I'm really confused about what happened in the last day and it's scared the heck out of me." Chihiro turned and walked away from Haku towards the edge of the hill/cliff looking down into the overlying land.

"Chihiro come with me to Zeniba's house so we can discuss this."

"Ok..."

Chhiro said facing away form Haku. She lifted her face and let the wind blow across her face. The wind seemed to blow around Chihiro in a constant motion. Suddenly the wind blew a strong wind adrift. This caused Chihiro to trip and there was nothing to support her fall in front of her. She was falling off the cliff into the ocean below.

"Chihiro!"

"Haku!" He rushed over to the egde of the cliff jumping off. He turned into a dragon but the wind held him back. All he saw was Chihiro falling in fornt of him towards her death.

A finger waved in a motion and everything seemed to stop and so did Chihiro's falling.

"Do I always have to save the day? Why do you have to cause so much trouble Haku when you go out to do one simple thing." Zeniba walked up the side of the hill with No Face assisting her.

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**Hmm well heres the 5ht Chapter. Hope ya like it. Im also sorry for some much dialuge in this one. Well of course Zeniba comes to the rescue. What would the story be without Granny coming to the rescue of her granddaughter. Again iw ould like to repeat that all the the characters and story setting are no mine. I do not own any of them except for the ones i create Well i actually am going to have the 6th chapter up tonight and please pm me if you have any questions about the story. I would be glad to explain anything if you need it.-**


	6. Chapter 6 The Mysterious Accident

Sirens sounded in the distance and people's sobbing were heard as well. Bright lights streamed from the cop cars and the fire trucks. Two people kneeled next to a body of a girl who was unconsious. Tears streamed down the moms face and the dad looked in sorrow. They wondered what could of happened to their daughter that she would of ended up like this. She had bleeding gashes over her body, a bite mark on her neck which was streaming tiny droplets of blood, and her body was fading into a blackish color. It looked like it was slowly burning in an invisible inferno. A pool of blood had already formed before the crew got there. A student who exited the school a little after Chihiro left spotted her on the ground and called the authorities for help. Soon students came back from their houses to watch their fellow student on the ground bleeding. Some students thought a psycho path came and bite her and others thought that a teacher wanted a taste of blood. Of course no one would believe that a demon attacked her and who in the right mind would. There wasn't even a witness at the scene to see the chaos so no one could deliever the true story, unless Chihiro escaped from the Spirit World and back into the Human World. She only had a week to do so and time was counting down minute by minute. It was either a week to live or a week to die.

"Ma'am and Sir I'm sorry but we have to take her top the hospital now."

"Ok..." said Chihiro's father while her mother just stared in awe. The authorirties took Chihiro's limp body and placed it onto a white sheeted roller bed. She was soon moved into the back of the amublance while police started to investigate the bloody scene. Chihiro's mother quickly got up and sprinted toawrds the vehicle which held her precious daughter. Chihiro's father shot up and chased after her.

"Yugo wait!" he screamed after his wife.

"Akigo their taking away my precious daughter. I can't let them take her!" Two policemen jumped infront of Yugo's path. She pushed and punched them both but they held her back as best they could. Tears streamed down and splattered on the ground just like Chihiro's blood did. The ambulance started it's motors and sped away towards the hospital. Akigo grabbed his wife and shoved her into his arms. She cried into his arms while he comforted her.

"Please let my daughter be ok..." He whispered into the wind.

"_She is fine for now. But she is in grave danger to a presence not of this world. But of a world your daughter has known."_ A voice sounded through the wind. Akigo turned behind him to see a black and emerald dragon. The dragon bowed it's head and nodded at him.

"Who are you?"

_"Don't worry about me young human. Worry about your daughter that only has a week to either live or die. Retrace your steps and remember the place your daughter told you about. The world you thought was just her imagination. Don't doubt your memories of that fateful day."_The dragon whispered again.

"I don't know what you mean. I don't understand what you mean about me doubting my daughter. I never doubted her ever. She was the best thing that happened to me besides my wife. What do you mean the world of my daughters imagination. What is it that stupid dream she said she had when she was ten about us turning into pigs and all. Those drawings she has in her room of spirits and a dragon..."

The dragon nodded and started to fade.

"_Believe in the past and that can help you unlock your future. It can help you save your daughter and even the world."_ The dragon was completly gone by the time the last whisper left it's mouth. Akigo just stood there with that incident to take in. He thought he was going crazy. How could he have seen a dragon? But what the dragon said seemed to have seeped into Akigo's mind. Maybe what his daughter had said five years ago was true. Maybe the world she supposdely created was true. Maybe that explains why the movers weren't at the house when they got there and their car was covered in leaves and dust. He tried to believe what he had just seen.

"Yugo our daughter is going to be ok." He said as the wind picked up and the stars twinkled a bit more. But who was that mysterious dragon that apperaed and how did it know about Chihiro?

"What are you talking about Akigo. She is in the hospital and she was just bleeding a ton. How can you say she is going to be okay."

"We... have to go back to the abanded Amusment Park we went to five years ago."

"What the hell are you talking about."

"Our daughter wasn't lying was she? Maybe we did turn into pigs maybe we were gone two weeks. Maybe she did all the stuff she did." He said sputtering it all out.

"Akigo i think we should get you a doctor." But instead of replying Akigo grabbed his wifes hand and dashed off towards their car. He was going to go see what he had not seen before.

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**Hey everyone! Here is the 6th chapter and sorry its so short. I wanted it to flow at the perfect rate and i don't wanna add parts that spoil others. Well how do you like it that I'm bringing Chihio's parents into the story? Anyone out there like it? Hmmm i wonder what Akigo is going to do and is he going to tell His wife that he saw a dragon. Or is she going to freak and get him to a mental hospital. Well you'll find out soon enough. Well I'm signing out for now but theres more to come form the Winds of the Lost. :)**


	7. Chapter 7 The Hearth of Fire

Zeniba pushed the door open and let everyone inside her house. No Face went to the stove and started to prepare tea as well since Chihiro arrived as a visitior. Haku slowly dragged himself into the house and Chihiro soon followed him. She was still frightened by the fact that she just almost died by falling off a cliff a few minutes ago. She also wondered about that mysterious voice she and Haku heard. What did they want her for?

"Haku, Chihiro sit down now please. We have to have a serious talk about what just happened and about how Chihiro ended up here in the first place." Zeniba pointed to the round wooden table in the middle of the room with four small chairs surrounding it. Chihiro lugged herself over and plopped down in the chair. Haku just stared at her for a few seconds. He was grateful that Zeniba had come to the rescue. He didn't want to lose the only thing he cared about. Haku finally made his way over to the table trying to hide his discomfort as well. He didn't want to seem like a wimp infront of Chihiro. Zeniba whispered a few things to No Face then made her way to the others. Both Chihiro and Haku looked up at Zeniba as she sat down.

"Okay Chihiro I'm sorry for Haku being a complete and total idiot. Second of all we really need to have a nice long chat."

"Hey I'm not an idiot." He stated angrily. " I didn't even cause he to fall off the cliff."

"Well i guess it was all the winds fault huh."

"Well..." Chihiro chirpped in but she was soon cut off by Haku.

"The wind said that Chihiro was theirs. They said that they wanted her back. I wasn't going to let them take Chihiro away. So i cast a spell , in the name of Rem, then it died out. But a minute later she was flying off the cliff and I tried to get her. As soon as I reached a certain point the wind held me back from doing anytihng further more." He said looking down at his feet. Feeling ashamed he couldn't protect Chihiro. But Chihiro was flustered by what he said and she blushed.

"Haku you did great..." She stated. "and thank you."

A twinkle formed in her eye and Haku felt it. He raised his head and smiled. He too began to blush,. There both of them sat sharing a moment of compassion. Their hearts fluttered together in one beat. The feelings began to arise that were formed so long ago. Zeniba sat there watching and thinking in her mind. She loved to watcht he two of them act as young lovers. To make it more fun on her part she chuckled aloud. In unison the two of them snapped back into reality, Unlocking eyes from one another. Chihiro fluffed her clothes and cleared her throat. Haku snarled in the pit of his throat while glarring at Zeniba. Chihiiro giggled and Haku straightened out.

"So what were we talking about?" Chihiro anticipated.

"About how you ended up here in the first place." Zeniba leaned back in her chair and began to enjoy the story. Chihiro again began to tell her story how she ended up in the realm and how it felt to be bitten. She also explained the information that the Realm God gave her. The two friends nodded in agreement as she spoke. Chihiro looked at Haku to finish the story

But all he did was reply with just these words.

"She can control water."

"Really Haku this isn't fun and games. Were trying to figure out what happened to Chihiro and you just keep goofing around. For the Gods sake just be serious for once."

" But Zeniba I'm being serious. Do you really think I would lie about this and if you don't believe me just look in my eyes." Zeniba could tell by the look on his face that he wasn't lying. He usually didn't lie anyway. But how could Chihiro control water. There was something definitely different about her. She looked like a spirit not a soul becoming a lost soul. By now she should be turning black but she was rich with a furious power.

"Fine I believe you and Chihiro give me your hand. I want to try something out."

Chihiro gave Zeniba a weird eye but she walked over and gave her hand out weakly.

"Why?" Zeniba looked at Chihiro giving her an eye that said ' Really you don't trust me I'm like 20,000 years old' Chihiro sighed and let Zeniba do what she wanted. Granny could feel the girls hand pulsing with a power greater than she. Her veins coursed of a spirits. Her hair, along with it, was rich and strong. Chihiro's eyes seemed to be changing as well. For a second Zeniba thought she saw Chihiro's eyes appea to be a firey red, burning with a passion of power and greatness. Only few held colors in thier eyes such as her. But they soon were gone in an instant. Zeniba soon snapped back into reality returning back to what she was doing in the first place. Zeniba closed her eyes and whispered. Soon her hand contained a small tinted flame that waved peacefully in motion. At the sight of this Chihiro tried to back away but Zeniba repelled. She moved the flame towards Chihiro's hand and two pairs of eyes watched carefully. The room was quiet and stood still. Shadows seemed to be forming and they crept up the wall in their motion. The flame burnt a color that was like the leaves in late autumn when the wind blew for a purpose. Chihiro shut her eyes tightly as the flame touched her skin. It touched and licked the skin in the motion. The hot burning substance spread across Chihiro's hand supposedly melting every to everyone's surprised it took form around Chihiro's hand. A force that was supposed to burn didn't; an element of destruction now under calmness. A fire that destroyed things was now under control.

Zeniba removed her finger and watched. Chihiro turned her hand over and looked at it in curiosity. She wanted to try something. So she closed her eyes and focused. an energy seemed to arise within her. It coursed itself from a depth within her heart, it felt so familiar. It traveled through her veins and blood. It was traveling to the place where the hearth of fire was located.

Seconds passed as Haku watched at the once weak, ten year old girl, not intentionally holding fire. _'Is this even possible'_ He thought.

The flame suddenly burst out, lashing in all the directions in the room. The fire caught Chihiro in its movement. The fire didn't burn Chihiro but travel around her whole body. Creating a layer, a layer like a second layer of skin. It radiated from her body like a pulse. It flowed with every movement she made.

"Just as I thought," Zeniba whispered.

Now standing infront of the two of them stood a girl smothered in fire, her eyes quickly changed going a complete black and her face went into a creepy smile. Haku jumped back in horrorof getting burned and at Chihiro's appearence. The eyes of the beholder of fire were now turning red again. They seemed to appear like minature embers in burning in a dark blackness. They looked at Zeniba and spoke in a great voice.

"Granny this feels so great and right. It feels like I was born to do this." Chihiro hissed.

"Chihiro I suggest you calm down and sit. You're going to end up damaging something. I don't want my house burning down. I actually want a place to live."

But Chihiro laughed and the flames lashed out more creeping towards the emerald eyed boy. She loved this feeling of power. The flames traveled through the silent air like a ghoul. The boy shielded himself attempting to shield himself. Water flowed out of her body taking form to protect the boy. The action seemed to come a little late though. It shot at Haku's hand burning his skin immensely. The skin instantly turned black and blood seeped out. Since he was spirit water spirit fire damaged him greatly. He dropped to the floor curling up into a ball, rocking back and forth trying to scare away the pain. The sight of this made Chihiro stop. Her flames died out and dissipated into her body, returning to place where they were risen from. Her eyes changed as well going back to the chestnut brown they were. She looked at the sight of the boy. He rocked back and forth in pain for her care of having power. She felt guilty for not listening and tears slowly welled up from her eyes. They streamed down her face and suddenly Haku looked up. His eyes were red and bloodshot. He was in extreme pain from Chihiro. But what scared Chihiro the most about Haku was that his eyes held fear, fear that was towards here. They pierced her heart, but most importantly her soul.

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**HMM I'm really wondering if this is a good chapter or not? Does anyone think this is good or is it just jumping in an unnatural beat? Well I have off the week after next week and I should be updating a lot then so if anyone is happy bout that plz tell me? And most importantly plz review and trust me I'm not going to die out like other authors. That drop their stories I'll keep writing this story so you guys can enjoy it :)**


	8. Chapter 8 The Wanting of a Girl

**I just wanted to say thank you to serpential for double checking a part of this chapter and thank you for some of the tips you have given me :)**

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Haku looked at Chihiro with fearful eyes. It should have been impossible that he could be hurt by fire, but it did hurt. His skin was completely fried, and pain shot through his arm. Why did it burn me, and how can she control the elements of fire and water? He thought. There is something very wrong here. Maybe she hadn't created that shield, though. Maybe she did, and maybe she didn't, but he was really confused at the moment, regardless. He just wanted this pain to stop; didn't make any sense! Seeing his panic, Zeniba was soon at his side, talking to him and asking what he felt. He answered in soft whispers that flowed through the air silently, too silent for Chihiro to hear.

The young woman stood a few feet away from him, looking in concern as tears flowed down her face. Haku just watched, wondering why she hadn't listened, and why she was acting the way she did before she had controlled the fire. It was as if Chihiro were controlled by an invisible force. The little ten year-old he had known had been so confident and content. But he knew in the bottom of his heart that she would never act in such a way ever again.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Haku saw a slight movement. He looked closer and confirmed his suspicions. There was something there. A black mass crouched in the corner, one shaped similar to a human being and somewhat tall. Its body was at least partially transparent; the color of the wall could be seen a bit. However, it mostly held its own figure.

The black mass moved towards Chihiro, creeping around her shoulder and whispering into her ear. Chihiro didn't seem to notice, apparently not hearing the strange creature. The shadow pulled a finger out; a flame danced at the tip of it, the fire pointing threateningly at Haku. The black mass then smiled and disappeared. The figure soon reappeared at the door, waving, than suddenly bursting into flames. It laughed a laugh that he only seemed to hear, and it proceeded to walk into the door. It passed through as silently as it had come.

Haku stared at the door. What he just saw had confused him, but given him answers as well. The black mass had been a piece of a soul, a soul that was but one part of someone, a missing, but somehow still present, piece. He had only and witnessed it once. It seemed that someone was missing a piece of their soul. That someone was Chihiro. She seemed to be missing a part of her soul, or a part of her previous soul, a soul that was longing its awakening.

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"There are still a few missing, we can't just leave them wandering around. We need their full power or we can't accomplish anything at all." A voice receded from a mouth.

"I know we need to find the four of them. Them being together is essential or what we are trying to accomplish will never work."

"The winds will soon rise to their full potential. The winds hold the keys, to the lost ones of the past."

"I know that it's nothing new." A figure stood before another, it looked the other in the eye seriously.

"How would you know that?" A chuckle came from the other figure.

"I thought you would of have least noticed by now."

"Noticed what?"

"Noticed one of the lost is before you fallen one." The figure took a finger and laughed at the other. It would gather everything it needed, especially the one it needed most. A ball of water formed from the finger, waving in a soft current. It shot in a freezing motion capturing the other figure. Before it could react the water turned to ice, sealing its victim. The victim immediately was frozen for its consequence of stupidity. The ice froze the veins and the soul of the figure forever taking its soul.

"I thought you would at least be worthy of assisting me Makuto, but I guess you weren't."

The being stood in the empty cement room somewhere in the beyond, where no one would suspect. It laughed and dissipated knowing its mission. The master of demons needed to complete its plan, for itself was the greatest one. It would rise again and make everyone bow before it, make everyone fear the greatest one of all. All it needed was a power it once lost centuries ago and it was close to getting the power. Soon enough it would be worthy enough to call itself a god; the god of spirits and humanity, the ruler of everyone and everything.

* * *

Lin eyesight took time to adjust after she slowly slid her eye lids open. She had a sharp pain banging around in her head. All she remembered was being attacked by Mangren Spirits in Yubaba's office. She awoke to see Yubaba still in the black containment of some sort with the demons around her. They jittered around and talked amongst themselves, lively as blind spirits could be. Yubaba was completely out in the black containment, or at least it looked like it. Lin took her hand slowly and moved it to her head. She felt around the area where the pain seemed to be coming from and brought it back to her eyes. Her hand was covered with blood completely and she sighed.

_Great I'm bleeding! But where is everyone; haven't they noticed that were in trouble. I wonder where Haku is now and what could he be up to? Why can't someone just come and help me and Yubaba? Can't the stupid workers realize that something bad is happening? The demons are probably attacking the workers and maybe that's why they aren't up here. Maybe..._

Lin heard a noise at the door; the demons didn't seem to notice it though. She turned and looked to see what caused the noise, there was Kamajii. She opened her mouth to gasp, but Kamajii put a finger to his lips and signaled her not to make any noise. He bowed his head and spoke, he spoke through the mind.

_Lin stay where you are. I know where Haku is and I'm going to warn him what has happened. Those demons are wreaking havoc throughout the bathhouse. I almost lost myself trying to sneak up here._

Lin opened her mouth, even though she was not told to, she just couldn't resist. A single word slipped out of her mouth.

"But..."

The demons turned around at the sound, facing Lin. Kamajii disappeared from sight leaving Lin to deal with the demons alone. The demons slowly crept over towards Lin walking in an odd way because they had no eyes. They got their claws ready and licked their lips.

"Too bad for bad spirit. Spirit didn't stay asleep," said one of the demons. They dragged their feet across the floors and they made clicking sounds with their mouths. Suddenly one of the windows burst open with a gush of air. The demons had quickly swerved towards the noise and the clicking sounds got louder as they tried to figure out what was happening. Lin eyes stalked the window looking at the wind blowing through. Small blue feathers started to blow through the window and they floated in a cluster. The demons were confused because they sensed so many little things, they didn't know what to attack. The blue feathers gently floated in with the air current. Lin watched in awe at the sight. The blue feathers soon formed a vague image of a creature, a dragon.

"Haku?"

The blue feathers broke apart, then suddenly glowing red, they connected with each other forming the whole creature. The feathers formed its features within a moment or two. They stood before the demons and Lin, a dragon who bore the colors of red and blue. The dragon looked exactly like Haku excepted for its colors. The dragon mane stood a dark coursing red, and so did the rest of its fur, while the body itself seemed to be a flowing river, a body of water. The dragon looked at Lin then at the demons. The dragon then let out a roar that shook the bookshelves and the desk. Yubaba still stayed unconscious in the black containment. The dragon let out a burst of fire that crisped the demons. They sprinted in different directions. Some of them screaming, some jumping out the windows, and some sinking into a variety of black vortexes. The dragon heaved a big breath in and smoke was let out of its nostrils. It sprinted around the room using its tail to send demons flying across the room into the walls. Some were grabbed by its claws and tossed into the streets below. The unlucky ones were swallowed in a gulp by the dragon. The dragon let a pool of water form around itself and healed any wounds it had. The dragon then approached Lin and looked down unto her. It laid down next to her encouraging her to climb onto its back. Lin sat up and stared at the dragon.

"Who are you?"

_I am named Mizutohi. I am looking for the one who bears the name Chihiro , she is in grave danger._

_"_Chihiro isn't here. But I know where she is. But how can I trust you? I don't want anyone hurting the twerp. If you lay one hand on her you..."

_I swear young spirit I'm not going to hurt her. Just please I need to find her. She is in great danger and I can see others are already hunting for her. My friends are trying to protect her as best as possible. But I need to know where she is. We need her desperately._

"Why do you need her?"

_That is something you will find out in time. I would have not come here if I didn't need help. I would of asked the old witch over there. But I can't free her from what's she's in. Only the person who casted the spell can. So are you willing to help me or not?_

"Fine I'll help you. Let's go." The dragon nodded and Lin climbed upon its back. The dragon made its way towards the window and Lin looked around the room one last time. She would come back and help Yubaba but right now she needed to go lead the dragon to Chihiro. The dragon leapt out the window into the fading sun. Dark was almost upon the spirit world. Lin whispered into the dragons ear as both of them disappeared into the pink colored sky.

* * *

**Ok hello everyone I just wanna say thx for everyone who has read my story and reviewed. :) The name for the dragon or Mizutohi means water and fire if you were wondering. It's actually mizu to hi but i combined them together to get the name :) Hope ya like the chapter and I will have the 9th chapter up soon. BYE FOR NOW!**


	9. Chapter 9 The Internal Fire

Looking through the draws Kamajii tried to find the train tickets he had so he was able to go to Swamp Bottom. He knew he had at least two more left. He saved these tickets for special or serious occasions, such as this. He tried to look through the draws quietly so he wouldn't get attacked by the demons ravaging the bathhouse. The demons were attacking all the workers and Kamajii could he the screaming from inside the boiler room. The soot balls gathered in a pile or black ash as the foot of the floor, watching Kamajii intently. They ruffled and made tons of noise, such as making little chirping noises.

"Quiet you soot balls." He hissed " I don't want those dang demons coming after me for god's sake. I'm going to go find Haku. All of you better keep watch for old Kamajii while I'm gone. You hear?" The old man still searching in the draws.

"Ahhhaaaa." He said loudly."I found them at last." He worked his arms , waving them around in the air. The soot balls eyes widened at the sight of the tickets.

"Well I better get going you old pieces of ash."

Kamajii slowly slipped across the floor, stepping lightly over the soot balls. He quickly grabbed his coat from the hanger next to the door and he slipped through the crack in the door. He made his way through the meat room and the pig room. Before entering into the darkness he checked for any wandering demons. He could see the shadows of people and demons chasing after them through the kitchens windows. Smoke still billowed out of the open window. Kamajii guessed the cooks left everything there to burn, thinking of their own lives. He shook his head and quietly made his way over the bridge and across the water to the train station. The sun was just about setting on the horizon as it casted gleams of soft colors across the dawning sky. Pink and orange strips reflected off the water giving it a peaceful look. He took his final steps through the water until he stepped onto the platform. The platform was completely deserted except for the sound of the whispering wind through the air.

He lugged himself over to the lonely bench on the side of the platform waiting for the train he needed to catch. He adjusted his glasses as he took seat in the bench. But they accidently fell and cursed softly under his breath. His took one of his many arms and reached down towards the ground to pick them up. When his old wrinkled fingers latched onto the glasses he furiously lifted them back onto the ridge of his nose where they belonged. A sudden sound was heard in the distance and Kamajii turned to look. A small emitting light was what his eyes saw in the distance traveling towards him.

"Finally."

He said as he got up and walked over to the edge of the platform. He patiently waited from that stop for the train to make its way there. He whistled tunes to pass the time. Then came the sounds of the train passing through the water, disturbing its stillness. It cast ripples across the wide vast sea of water and the light reflected of the liquid. It soon screeched to a halt inches from Kamajii's feet. The train doors slid open and Kamajii's head rose to meet the conductors face. The conductor put hand out, waiting for Kamajii to put the ticket in his hand. Kamajii wrestled his jacket pulling out the tickets. The conductor put it through the little contraption and offered Kamajii to come and take a seat. Kamajii boarded the train and the doors slid behind him and the train set off into the vast ocean of the beyond.

* * *

Chihiro backed up from Haku, but he seemed to be staring at the door. He looked like he was staring at someone that wasn't there. Tears streamed down here face because of the pain she caused him. She didn't know why fire hurt him because water doesn't get affected by water. He stared into the beyond in a different dimension of thought.

"Haku..."

"..."

"Haku please answer me."

"...Chihiro..."

"Haku what's wrong?"

"You are missing part of you." She looked at him confused and the tears stopped flowing.

"What? I just burned you and you say I'm missing part of me. Don't you ever care about yourself?" She screamed at him.

"Chihiro" He looked into her eyes. "You're missing parts or a part of her soul. I saw a part of you and it turned into fire. Then it drifted out the door. The black mass looked exactly like you and it laughed. It looked exactly like your pure face. It didn't want to hurt you but something was wrong and the only explanation would be that it's a part of your soul." Zeniba turned back to Haku.

"Haku I saw what you said and your right. Something is very wrong here. Chihiro it seems you definitely are a spirit, no doubt about it. Controlling both water and fire is nothing a human can do, but missing pieces of your soul, that's a totally different story. Haku said it was on fire. So that means it's a part of your fire spirit. I guess that part of you came looking or it ran away from you. But it seems there are more parts of your soul. There isn't just one part that is wandering. It seems water and fire are your elements and you're not going to be going back home." Chihiro looked at Zeniba and started to cry again.

"But why..."

"I'm sorry young one but you have to stay here." Haku looked up after Zeniba finished and he looked hurt. His eyes held a pain, a pain of love, an internal love that formed in the bonding of them years ago. Chihiro saw this pain and replied.

"Haku I didn't mean I don't want to be here. I mean I don't understand why I have to have missing parts of me running around the spirit world. Why do I have to hurt people? Why do I have to be the to be chased by a demon? What do spirits want me? Do they want to kill me? Oh Haku..." The strong willed girl couldn't keep a guard up forever. Her mask of strength fell and her body was broken. She was crumpled and overwhelmed about what happened over the last day. The sun wasn't in the sky anymore and the room was only lit by the fire. Her eyes also emitted some light. They weren't a soft chestnut anymore. They were a ember color like fire burning in a hearth. Chihiro's eyes seemed like they were going to remain that way. She was supposedly a spirit now anyway so her eyes would take form of a color of the element she controlled. She seemed to be in power more with water , so that was going to be the color of her eyes.

Haku looked out the window and sighed. Zeniba went to get bandages for him but Haku waved not to. He would heal himself with water. He concentrated and the faucet turned on. He controlled a blob of water and took it away from the flowing water. He slowly cautioned it through the air and brought it to his arm. Chihiro watched him and he slowly placed it on his skin. The water started to glow and sink itself into the skin. It formed a cover, like a second layer of skin over the wounds on his hand. A few seconds into the process of healing himself the water stopped glowing and stood still. Haku looked at his cuts with a confused expression. The water was supposed to keep on glowing until the wounds were gone. But the water turned in drips then splattered on the floor; wetting the floor as well as Haku's clothes. Haku looked at his hand angrily and tried the process again and again it didn't work. He tried it at least several more times before Zeniba stopped him.

"Haku you're not going to be able to heal yourself like that. You're going to have to put some bandages on."

"But it always works. I can always heal myself if I need to. Especially since it's a burn, but fire isn't supposed to hurt me. Why did it then?" The thought came to Haku mind that maybe Chihiro contained a different kind of fire. Maybe she contained a stronger force then it is originally supposed to be. The element she contained might be a certain force only few contained. Zeniba seemed to read his mind.

"She contains an internal fire. Very few spirits have that. But we won't be able to do anything with it now because of her soul. It seemed her internal fire awakened when I tried that experiment. That experiment was meant to see if she could really control water but it seems she controls fire as well. In order to see that elements appear again we need to find those missing parts of Chihiro."

"But how are we going to find them? What happens if I don't want to possess elements? How do you know if I even want to find those missing parts of my soul? Well you don't know. So stop trying to include me in things you don't even know I want to do." Chihiro screamed. She then walked to the hall on the other side of the room and disappeared for a few seconds. She then came back and asked where she could sleep in a whisper. Zeniba pointed and said it was the second room down the hall which was the guest room. She again disappeared and there was a slam of a door heard a few seconds later.

Zeniba and Haku stood silently in the middle of the room while No Face nervously stood in the corner of the room waiting instruction. They looked at each and shook their heads. They knew that this was going to be hard. Haku pointed to the bandages and Zeniba started to wrap his hand. Haku was going to go to sleep after Zeniba was done. He wanted to get some rest even though spirits really didn't need because he hadn't slept in ages and he wanted some peace and quiet. But little did both of them know that they had visitors coming very soon and it was going to be a long day tomorrow. Both of them had urgent news for different people and life wasn't about to get easy.

* * *

Both Kamaji and Lin traveled in a hurry to get to Zeniba's house for different reasons. Each of them not knowing that both of them were going to the same place. Each of them traveling in totally different ways. One by dragon and one by train, but both for the same reason. The skies were getting darker and the time was getting later and their tiredness was increasing. Kamajii's train zoomed past towns and villages while Lin flew on a dragon through the clouds in the sky, making everything below seem small. But in time both of them would arrive at Zeniba's house with news that made life harder as well as more interesting. But pieces of information from one of them were more important than the other. The dragon held a secret, that in time, Lin would know.


	10. Chapter 10 The Lost Ones

As the dragon flew over the skies with the young spirit upon her back, she thought about the past. The past when all of them were together, when all of them were protecting the spirit world. When they honed their powers and they fought for fun, those were the days. She thought of those lost days and soon the flashbacks started to flow back. One by one they flashed before her, but one flash back stood before her, a flash back that was of a young looking spirited bursting out with powers. The girl was fighting her and the girl succeeded and beat Mizutohi in such a fabulous way. Her power flowed beautifully in a synchronized fashion as they danced through the air gently and powerfully. The voice of the young spirit on her back faded and the dragon started to dream while flying.

* * *

_Flashback_

_"Mizutohi you ready to go down."_

_Screamed the girl from afar, as they stood in a wide open grass field. Both of them laughed and so did the others watching them. There stood Kohaku, Kaze, Hana, Kokatsuna, Chirashi, and Okami smiling and whispering to each other. Rapisu had challenged Mizutohi to a fight because they needed to keep their strength up and it was training for both of them. They needed to be able to fight anyone and Rapisu was the one to fight for she held the power of all the gods. The one and only spirit ever who could control all the elements. By the creators she was given this gift or power. No one know why she came into existence necessarily and neither did all the others. But their main purpose were the protectors of the spirit, human world, and eternity. They were the guardians, they were the holders, they were the controllers of everything. All eight of them were a part of the lost ones. For the winds created from the ashes of the earth, the seas of the oceans, roots of the trees, and from the skies. They were a part of the winds, the winds of the lost._

_Kohaku and Hana announced the rules at the same time like they always did. Both a dragon and a fairy stood side by side in the swaying grass. For both of them secretly loved one another, young love as one called it. Then both of them held their hands up in the air and pulled them down yelling go. The fight was to begin on order. So both Rapisu and Mizutohi took their stances and their eyes stared at each other violently. Concentrating both of them summoned their powers from their hearts, from the one place where they trusted. Not knowing what Rapisu would summon Mizutohi summoned burning flames to her hands. Her hands held fire that curled beautifully around her wrist and petite hands. She smiled weakly knowing that she would have to fight hard for nothing came easy when facing an opponent like her._

_Rapisu from the other side of the field moved her mouth silently, calling upon the roots of the earth. The grasses around her grew and the roots of trees beside her entangled her body, encasing her with power. The roots and grasses would obey her for she was the controller. For moments no one could see Rapisu, the roots and grasses blocking her from view. Then suddenly two emerald eyes peered through the grasses and a solid brown figure rose. Brown hair flowed down her waist and flowers were threaded through it. Her body was now covered in a variety of flowers, roots, and grasses. Kohaku watched as Rapisu made her way over to Mizutohi. Kohaku had always been amazed by Rapisu. He never ceased to forget how powerful he was. He seemed to look at her for long periods of time, admiring her beauty while using her different powers. Hana was cautious about who he looked at and what he did. The fairy wanted the dragon boy all to herself._

_Rapisu looked across the field at Kohaku and both of their eyes locked. She smiled softly and so did he. Hana suddenly seeing this gracefully and forcefully summoned the grasses around her to grab Kohaku's face. Grapping his skin ,the grasses turned his face to face Hana's. Rapisu watched in disappoint as well in anger at what Hana was doing. Hana suddenly had her short green hair flow down her back and her dress become short. Her shoulder laced dressed now became a sharp v- cutter one that cut down superiorly low. Kohaku's eyes move down and up watching Hana's hair and body. He seemed to be dazed in this inappropriate act. Mizutohi watch in disbelief as Hana, once again, broke Rapisu's calm moments. The others watched in disbelief as well and wind the slowly picked up catching everyone's hair. Kokatsuna and Chirashi shook their heads and rolled their eyes, they knew how annoying this could be._

_Hana was now in a short laced, v-cut dress which slightly was below her hips. Her hair flowed down her back and against her skin and flowers were laced in it as well. Her eyes were shown in appearance in a beautiful emerald color and her eyes lashes gently hide some secrets as well.. Kohaku stared at Hana in curiosity. He stared at the beautiful creature before him as he was laced in the grass. The grass receded but the wind picked put. Hana placed her hands upon Kohaku's face as they tickled his skin. He just stood there watching Hana do all the moving. She closed her eyes and brought her body close to his. Their lips were soon embraced in a fashion of strokes. Kohaku was laced himself in a passion of romance. They continuously broke apart and touched again, and they tugged at each other's shirts trying to get more out of each lips. Kohaku gripped Hana's face and Hana gripped his. Both their eyes remained closed and Hana's dress was soon becoming shorter and shorter. Kohaku moved his hands down Hana's waist and picked her up, moving her through the air. They laughed and giggled._

_Rapisu soon began to have salty tears flow down her skin. Mizutohi flames grew big at the anger she had toward Hana. Hana knew how much this bothered Rapisu. Rapisu slowly shut her eyes and her body fell still, not moving a bit. She focused on her anger and transformed it into something greater. The anger within her burned as great as a burning forest, it wouldn't calm till cooled out. Mizutohi looked at the sky and it soon became black._

_"Oh No..." She whispered. The clouds rolled in and sun dissipated behind the white puffs soon becoming gray. The tackled the sky with great power and velocity. Rapisu pondered her thoughts and feelings trying to solve them but she couldn't. The trees soon stopped blowing and the birds stopped chirping. The others watched along with Mizutohi and knew what was going on. Hana and Kohaku were now on the ground still locked in an embrace, but Kohaku broke away, looking at the cloud covered sky._

_"Oh my god. She is casting the winds."_

_He got up and Hana yelled at him to get back down but he pushed her away. Rapisu slowly started to glow a dark purple and her skin started to peel away. It revealed an illuminated being in the middle of the grass field. The winds circulated around her and her hair spun in the motion. She was soon stripped of half her skin and she let out a vociferate of a roar. Kohaku sprinted across the field and jumped into the air. He turned to water droplets and they formed a dragon. Solidifying themselves together his form was complete. An emerald and white dragon tackled the winds and the purple being hesitated. She looked up to see the dragon before her. He confined the wind into his hand and looked Rapisu in the eye._

_"Please stop." She took a breath and shook her head, nodding she released herself. Kohaku hugged the poor girl in front of him as she collapsed from the receding and draining power. The clouds soon cleared and Hana looked in disbelief. Her dragon boy was holding Rapisu like he enjoyed it. He stroked her hair and whispered into her ear. Mizutohi sighed and thank the gods Kohaku cared for her. Hana's facial expression changed and she screamed._

_"Jerk! Fine choose her over me. What do I care!"_

_Hana stormed over the grass field away from all of them. Her dress became long again and her hair became short. The hair strips started turning red because of Hana's anger. but Kohaku didn't care. He just want Rapisu to be ok._

_Mizutohi watched as both of them sat in the field crying and talking. She had so many questions and Rapisu held so many questions. For Rapisu held her real name close to her. The brown hair girl strong willed and courageous had her up and downsides. But she stilled contained and ancient power no one else had._

* * *

Mizutohi heard the young spirits voice calling her name.

"Hello, are you dazed out? You not answering me, Mizutohi. I'm trying to tell you where to go but you're not listening. Earth to the deaf dragon." Lin called from the back of the blue and red dragon.

" I'm sorry young one, I was dazed out. Forgive me." Both of them continued to talk and Mizutohi got back on course. They were going to go get Chihiro, or at least she was. They needed her in this bad time. A bad time was arising and she was needed. It would also be good to see Kohaku once again for they had not seen each other in 1,000 years. They flew on getting closer and closer to Zeniba's house.


	11. Chapter 11 Reunion

**Ok I just wanted to say sorry if I confused anyone in the last chapter. It was about Lin and Mizutohi going to Zeniba's house. Mizutohi ended up having a flashback while she was flying. Back to when she was a part of the lost ones. It was just a flashback from Mizutohi's POV, I didn't mean to cause confusion for anyone. Well here's the 11th Chapter hope you all like it.**

* * *

Feeling tired Kamajii slowly started to fall asleep, drifting into his mindless dreams. But a hand soon shook him and he jolted up, fluttering his eyes trying to wake himself. He smoothed his clothes and looked up to see the conductor. The conductor signaled his hand to the station they were at, Swamp Bottom. Kamajii realized where they were and got up, thanking the conductor for letting him know. Kamajii made sure he didn't forget anything around the seat he was sitting in and made his way to the doors of the train. The doors slid open and he stepped out, facing a small clearing in the woods. The stars above him twinkled and the sky was like a vast blue ocean filled with crystals. The train soon lurched and the engine pushed it on. It soon disappeared behind the trees leaving tracks in the water. The lights faded into an undertone of the trees then it was gone, not making a sound as it moved on. Walking forward a small lantern hung from a vast entry way. It flared a small glow that lit up the trees slightly around it. The lantern jumped down giving Kamajii a bow. Kamajii was startled a little by the sight of this but returned the bow. The lamp then started heading down the trail squeaking and making a path in the dirt. It continuously motioned Kamajii to follow it and he did so. As he passed under the entry a noise came from behind him. He whirled around to see a dragon with a spirit on its back touching onto the dragon about 20 feet away. The spirit upon its back stroked the dragons main and whispered some words. Then it lifted its head and Kamajii saw its face.

"Lin?" He curiously looked at her upon the back of the dragon. She made a face, a startled one to be precise. The dragon looked up sensing someone in front of her. She closed her eyes and bowed her head. The feathers upon its back lowered and the water flowing body changed color, going from a dark ocean blue to ember red. Kamajii lowered himself and bowed. Lin studied herself and hopped of the dragon, crashing into the earth. Her clothes settled back into her original position as Lin settled herself. Lin walked forward, making her way gracefully towards Kamajii. The lantern had made its way back to Kamajii's side and its light illuminated Lin. Her cuts and bruises showed in the light and Kamajii's guessed it was from the demons.

"Kamajii it's nice to see you and thanks for leaving me to get attacked." Said Lin a little angrily.

"I'm sorry Lin I needed to get here but it seems you have made your way here safely. Who is your friend over there and where is Yubaba?"

"Well over there is Mizutohi, she is a dragon. As for Yubaba neither me or Mizutohi could free her. Only the one who put her in that thing can free her. I don't think their gonna free her anytime soon."

The dragon made her way over to Lin, standing by her side. Her tail flowed in the air, fluttering back and forth. Her body glowed an ember red and it seemed to be like flowing lava.

"Hello Kamajii. I am Mizutohi and nice to meet you."

"Wait how did you..."

"Ohh, I have heard some things about you around the spirit world. I have heard lots of things in the short time I have existed."

"Oh." He replied silently. "Well if we're all here for the same reason or at least to go to Zeniba's house. Then lets head off. What is your reason for being here Mizutohi-san?"

"Please just call me Mizutohi and I am here searching for the one named Chihiro. We are in need of her and this young spirit here guided me. I am grateful for her help."

"But Chihiro is human... she wouldn't be here" Kamajii chimed.

"Well I overheard Yubaba saying that Chihiro or a human had ended up here because one of the employees had spotted someone. So I guessed it was her and the only place she would go to would be right here."

Both Mizutohi and Kamajii looked at Lin.

"Well if were just gonna keep standing here were not going to get anything done. Let's go."

The lamp started to jump down the trail again and all three of them followed. Mizutohi, Kamajii, and Lin pressed their feet into the earth for a purpose. They were going to deliver messages that would change the course of two people's future. Thos people were Kohaku and Chihiro.

* * *

Zeniba was just about finishing the bandages on Haku's hand. He winced each time she slowly curled the weaved leather around his hand. He was grateful that the process was almost finished. Zeniba placed the leather onto the table and looked Haku in the eyes. His emerald eyes shimmered in the fire and Zeniba chuckled. His face turned into a quiet confusion. He didn't understand why she was chuckling. Haku nodded his head into a slight bow thanking Zeniba. Zeniba appreciated this and thanked him aloud.

"Well Haku your hand is wrapped and it's getting late. I know you're going to say that you don't need to go to sleep, but please just go get some rest. In case anything happens tomorrow, I want you to be wide awake. So please just go rest."

Haku opened his mouth to protest but Zeniba silenced him. No Face was standing near the stove cleaning it making sure there were no spots. But he suddenly looked up looking towards the story and started going 'Uhh' over and over again. Zeniba knew what he was pointing out.

"No Face I sense it too. We have visitors...Who would be coming here this late in the night?" Zeniba got up and slid her feet across the floor making her way towards the door. Her hair hung in a bun and some fallen strands waved back in forth in motion with the pace of her beat. Haku got up to and followed Zeniba to the door. She gripped the handle and twisted it, pulling the door open revealing a dark blanket across the sky. But a light soon started to grow before her eyes, as it made its way down the trail. The light illuminated the figures walking behind it. Zeniba could make out three different figures, one of them were taller than the others. Haku looked out from behind Zeniba trying to see who was coming down the trail.

In a few moments the three figures were only paces, in walking distance, from the door. There stood a dragon, a spider, and a spirit looking human.

"Well who do we have here? Kamajii and Lin it's nice to see you here. Who is this beautiful looking creature beside you." Lin opened her mouth to speak but Mizutohi was quicker.

"I am Mizutohi ma'am and it is a great pleasure to be in your presence. I am here looking for a spirit named Chihiro. Do you know where I could find her?"

"Well she actually happens to be here. But she is sleeping right now, I'm afraid but I don't want you to wake her. Please come in and we can all talk." All three of them made their way to the door way and entered the small house. The fire lit the room and gave it a warm feelings. The dragon before entering, turned into blue feather that fell to the ground. Then a gust of wind came and picked them up. The feathers flowed into a formation of a cyclone then formed a human shape. In place of the blue feathers stood a tall blue haired girl. Her eyes were a striking red and her hair was a dark ocean blue that flowed well down to her knees. She was wearing a laced blue dress with red and green sequences across the front. The dress reached the length of her knees as well, like her hair. She then continued into the house and looked around the room.

Behind Zeniba, a few feet away, she spotted a tall slender boy, that looked around the age of 17 that had green hair, standing behind her. The boy soon spotted the girl and his eyes widened and a smile appeared on his face. A smile also appeared on hers as well.

"Mizutohi its really you!" He yelled running over to her squeezing her. His arms laced her mid section and she returned the hug.

"It's nice to see you again Kohaku. It's been so long since we last saw each other."

"How is everyone?" He asked excellently.

"Well everyone is doing good. But something is happening and we need Chihiro."

Both of them separated and looked at each other.

"Chihiro? Why do you need Chihiro? She just became a spirit over a day ago because some demon bit her? How could she possibly be a help to you and everyone."

"Well... she does hold the power to all the elements. How do you not remember her being with us 1,000 years ago during the battle?"

"What? Your talking nonsense. Chihiro was originally a human. I met her first when she fell into my river. Rapisu is the one who controls all the elements and she disappeared after the battle. Rapisu and Chihiro look nothing alike." Haku protested against Mizutohi. They both talked back and forth arguing about who was right.

"At least I didn't hurt her feelings like you and Hana did." Mizutohi yelled.

"You take that back." He hissed and he growled in the pit of his throat. Lin, Kamajii, No Face, and Zeniba watched as they argued.

"No, it's true you hurt her so badly that day when you to made out while me and her were supposed to fight. Then you rushed over to her side and left Hana angry. All you like to do is skip from women to women. You make them think you love them. Then dump them in an alley and leave them to rot."

"I didn't mean to do that it was..." He stopped staring down at his feet.

"Does Chihiro have any elemental control if you think she is so human.?"

"Well so far she can control water, and internal fire." Chimed Zeniba." She burned Haku a while before you guys got here. I had to bandage him up."

"Well I got my answer. You know all right Kohaku the Rapisu was the only one who could control internal fire and here you have a spirit that appeared out of nowhere that can control it. Doesn't that signal something in your mind that maybe it is Rapisu. That maybe after she disappeared she was created into a human. The gods didn't want her to have to do all the work for us. so they sent her away to the Human World to live a life of rest. The gods told me all of this and what have they told you. "Oh sorry you lost your river too bad." They left you hanging Kohaku while all of us have been getting stronger. You never think about the things around you. You just look at the facts. So for once please consider that I'm right. You want to know why we need her again. You want to know? It's because Kaze betrayed us and is now trying to open a portal between the Human World and the Spirit World. He wants to be the king of both worlds. You're crazy dragon friend is now out there trying to destroy us all. Did you know any of this. no you didn't so stop saying I don't know anything. We need her or all hope is lost."

Haku looked at his feet and shame was all over his face. He had just been buried down into a whole by Mizutohi. Everything she said about him was right and if Kaze was out there he needed to get back up onto his feet. He replied with an answer that astonished everybody. He never ever backed down to another spirit but he did.

"Your right Mizutohi I am all the things you said. Maybe Chihiro is Rapisu. Maybe that's why we were so bonded when I saved her from falling into my river when she was younger. I have been missing so much I'm sorry for letting you and the others down." He looked up into Mizutohi's eyes and she could see that he was sorry.

"Ok we seem to have a lot of stuff going on here. Can you all please sit down and we can chat this over while drinking some tea. I still need to figure all this information out." Zeniba said tiredly. All of them started to talk but she pointed to the table. all of them didn't dare anger Zeniba so they sat at the table waiting for her to speak. Mizutohi and Haku looked at each other while sitting next to each other. Mizutohi wrapped her arm around his back trying to comfort him. He gripped her hand and smiled into her face. He felt an urge to do something. Mizutohi had always been there for him for the past 6,000 years. she had been so nice and he needed to repay her. His way a repaying someone, like her, was with a kiss. He grabbed her face softly and placed his lips on hers. She looked startled but understood what her was doing. She returned the kiss to him and they embraced while sitting at the table. But all the sudden a sound sounded form the hallway from behind all of them. All of them turned to see Chihiro standing in the hallway. But Mizutohi and Kohaku didn't notice this.

"Umm what is all this noise." She said rubbing her eyes. She realized that Haku was embracing with someone her eyes widened." Haku what are you doing. I thought Zeniba was wrapping your and why are Lin and Kamaji here? Who is that girl? What is going on?"

Haku broke form the embrace and pushed Mizutohi away. Both of them stood straight and looked at Chihiro.

"Well...umm.. this is Mizutohi and she came here to look for you."

"Ohh and why has she come here."

"Well we need to for something Chihiro. Something has risen and we need to come back to the lost ones." Said Mizutohi.

"What I'm confused. I wake up and see you two kissing and now she wants me to help her. What kind of meeting is this!" Chihiro screamed and stormed pass all of them towards the door. She opened the door and closed it behind her. She stormed off in the blanket of the night.

* * *

**Well this chapter might be a little confusing. But please review and I hope ya like it well bye!**


	12. Chapter 12 Revealed

Sighing, Haku got up from the table, looking at everybody in the room. Kamajii and Lin just sat there quietly, Zeniba was at the door, Mizutohi was looking at him, and No Face was continuing to finish up the tea. Haku made up his mind that he was going to go find Chihiro and explain everything. He started to walk away when Mizutohi gripped his hand tightly. He turned to look at her and shook his hand, jerking his hand away, trying not to be scurrilous towards her. She looked hurt and talk to him through thought.

Haku, don't leave. Let Chihiro come back on her own. If you're going to go talk to her let me do it. I'm the one who started all of this.

She thought half heartily.

No, Mizutohi I have to go talk to her. She is going to probably shun you because of what just happened and she trusts me more then you. Chihiro has no idea who you are and if you approach her she'll probably try to hurt you. She doesn't even know half of the powers she has. I'm sorry but I'm going and hope you enjoyed "it" while it lasted.

He winked at Mizutohi and she shook her head and smiled. She urged him on towards the door and Kamajii and Lin said good bye for they knew what he was going to do. He walked across the fire gleaming floors towards the oak door and there stood Zeniba. Before Haku could pass her she opened the door wide open and whispered into his ear.

"Go get your girl."

He nodded with a smile and headed off into the night. The moon gave him some light he could use to look around. he saw the footprints pressed distortedly into the earth, It looked as if Chihiro just sprinted off into the night. She slowly strengthen backwards and sighed again.

" Well I guess I'm going to have a good sprint." He lurched forward at incredible speed, darting into the night, dodging trees and broken branches on the way. He looked in the treetops and on the ground for any sign of Chihiro but nothing came across as he sprinted. His clothes neatly pressed back against the forcing wind and his hair neatly in a spiked- cut hairdo, waved into its motion as well. He soon arrived at the train station where he came 5 years ago with Chihiro and there was no sign of here. he felt an urge to go to the right and follow to tracks to the wide ocean. So he headed down the tracks and the train tracks opened up into a glistening ocean of twinkling shadows of stars upon them. There somewhat ten feet away from the tracks there was a girl floating above the calm ocean of water. Her hair dropped down, her body was parallel to the ocean, and her hands were tucked behind her head as she rested looking up at the stars. Her chest rested and receded in a rhythm like Haku's breathing. He slowly floated into the air over to the girl. she didn't turn her head but she spoke.

"Haku can't you and the others leave me alone to some privacy once in a while. It seems that I can also manipulate wind too, what a surprise. Haku, who am I really? How much more can I control? I feel so lost in all of this. It feels like I know you so well band the other girl, but you seem so far out of reach at the same time. Haku..." Chihiro turned her head meeting his eyes." Who am I? Please help me.." Her voice seemed to drift in the wind. Haku grabbed Chihiro's hand.

" That's one thing I can help you with."

He glided her into the sky, getting higher and higher. She let the wind caress through her hair and Haku pressed on and on.

"Haku, what are we doing?"

"Well I wanted to get high enough in the sky so no one could overhear us."

"Oh ok."

Soon it looked like they could touch the moon due to its proportioned size. The sky blanketed the stars as they showed through the atmosphere. The wind also carried a scent that made Chihiro feel at home as they slowed down setting in front of the moon. Haku settled in a pretzel position and put his hands into his hands. Chihiro did the same as they admired the beautiful sight.

"Are you ready?" Haku asked. Chihiro was to pulled into the moons view.

"Chihiro..." He said a little louder and she zoomed out back to reality. "Are you ready." Haku's hair waved in the wind, and she liked how it wasn't the way it was 5 years ago. She liked how it was shorter and cut into a spiked head of hair. His emerald hair looked even better to her now than ever.

"Yes I'm ready."

"Ok well first let just start with this, you're not human at all. You are really a spirit named Rapisu who is a part of the Lost Ones. I am apart of them too, but I broke away from them after you disappeared, I couldn't stand the whole group because after you disappeared everything turned into chaos. They all fought constantly and they tried to almost kill one another from time to time. Also the girl you saw back there, Mizutohi, is a part of them as well. She came and asked for you because a bad time is arising. Rapisu or you before you were "Human" you could control all the elements or all the powers an spirit could have. You can control water, internal fire, air, wind, thunder, light, nature/earth, dark magic, white magic, time, space and so much more. You, I, and all of the others were created for one purpose, protect the spirit and human world. We don't know why you were given all the elements and powers but it's for a reason that I don't know. You are considered even higher then all of the gods combined to other people and you are a dragon.

Mizutohi was told that you disappeared because the gods wanted to give you rest. So they placed you into the human world to rest and enjoy your life. But something has found its way to you and brought you back here. Dark forces want you on their side so they can open up the Human and Spirit world at the same time. Causing both to combine as one and you are the only one that can do it..."

"How old am I if I'm a spirit?"

" You are around 6,000 years old." Haku said plainly and Chihiro eyes widened. She was that old, she thought. she wondered how that was possible.

"Are all of us the same age?" Chihiro asked.

"Yes, we all came into existence at the same time and do you want to know the others in the Lost Ones and there are eight of us too?" She nodded vigorously.

"Well there is Mizutohi, she controls water and fire, and she is a dragon. There is Kokatsuna who is an ancient bird, he controls wind. Chirashi is an ancient bird as well, and she controls dark magic and wind. Hana is a fairy, she controls light and nature. Okami is a wolf, he controls time and thunder. Lastly there is Kaze who is a dragon, he controls white and black magic and wind. He is the one that is trying to open up the two worlds. That's why we need you. We need to band together once again to stop one that has betrayed his own kind. I know you don't remember anything but I can show you memories of mine that can help you remember. You will get your memory back soon but for now I'll share mine with you. But are you willing to help us bring down Kaze, Chihiro?"

She sat there looking at the moon and thinking about all the information she had just been given. Was she willing to help them? Was she willing to band together without memories of any of them. Was she willing to stop the one who she didn't even know? Was she willing to become someone she thought she wasn't? She turned towards Haku and looked him in the face.

"Yes, I am." She spoke silently in a whisper.


	13. Chapter 13 Memories

"Good" He said with a grin. " Well do you want to start helping you remember? I can start by showing you a memory." Both of them still sat in the sky looking at the moon. Chihiro just stared off into the atmosphere thinking about who she was before she was "Human". Her hair waved in the wind and so did her clothes. She turned her head slighty towards Haku and nodded. She wanted to learn about the Lost Ones and she wanted to remember the 5,000 years she forgot. She wanted to learn or remember about who she really was. She wanted to feel that she knew the world she belonged in.

"Well come closer." Chihiro looked at Haku weridly. He chuckled at the point that he misunderstood her. " I meant come closer so I can show you the memory."

Chihiro grinned and floated over to Haku. He gripped her hand and pulled her next to him. He took his arm and slowly wrapped it around her slender shoulder. She didn't seem to mind the point that his was around her. For she liked the comfort of having him near. Chihiro rested her head on his shoulder and he looked down upon her grinning a wicked grin. Raising his hand, he placed it upon her forehead, letting the memories flow into Chihiro's mind. Both of them sucked into the memories, their eyes closed; they watched the memories together.

_Memories_

_Chihiro watched as she saw a group of eight people laughing as they sat and ate dinner. Haku and her stood on the other side of the room, not appearing to the other spirits, for they were just watching a sight in the past. they laughed and talked about how the day went._

_"On the far right of the table is Kotatsuna, the one with the brown spiked hair. He was the most abnoxious one out of the group. He joked about everythnig and no matter what he said it always seemed to be funny. He was friends with everyone he met; Kotasuna always seemed to be vibrant." Haku spoke to Chihiro. She looked at the ravenous boy as he through his head back and laughed. She grinned at the sight of this. Haku continued to explain allt he spirits at the table._

_"The one next to him is Hana. She has the short, bobbed green hair. She always seemed to have something on her mind and she enjoyed showing off. Hana also umm...she...ummmm.."_

_Haku stutterred, trying to get what he was saying out of his mouth._

_"Hana also what?" Chihiro asked. She looked in a confused expression towards him._

_"She had a thing for someone in the group. She always tryed to show off how beautiful she was. Her green hair, when she grew it, flowed in the wind as the sun shimmered down on it." He stared at her with sparkling eyes, remembering how she used to look at him._

_"Who did she have a thing for." She chuckled aloud, grinning at the same time._

_"Well, are you sure you want to know?"_

_"Umm, of course i want to know everything I can about the Lost Ones."_

_"Well, it was me." He said with a slight grin, shrugging his shoulders._

_"Oh." He eyes lowered and her chuckling ceased. She seemed to get paler and she seemed to get more distant._

_"I don't have a thing for her trust me. She just used to try to get me to go out with her. But I never said yes. Chihiro.. please don't take it the wrog way..." He walked over and picked up her head. Her eyes were gleaming and she started to chuckle again._

_"Oh, I didn't. I was just thinking about how it would look having a girl all over you. It must have been funny with Hana being over you 24/7." He grinned shyly and turned his head and thought._

_'Only if you knew the half of it.'_

_He kept describing everyone everyone. She obviously knew who Mizutohi and Haku were. But there was a mysterious girl sitting across the form Haku which whom she didn't reconize._

_"Who is that girl sitting across from you at the table?"_

_"Well, that girl is you." _

_She bugged her eyes out staring at the spirit. The spirit was extrodinarly beautiful to her. She guessed obviously that was Rapisu, or her former spirit. She was jealous of the spirit she once was. The spirit had red hair that she couldn't describe; it seemed to be mixed one with a sunset red and a gleaming fire red. The spirits eyes were the part of her body that she couldn't see. Her dress was a red, but yet simple dress. It contained a white lace going across the chest and sequences going around the waist. The spirit had a slender face and a thin- lined nose. It seemed all here face were made to make the most beautiful spirit ever. The spirit was laughing at Kotauna and she turned her head. The spirit seemed to be staring at her and her eyes burned a ember red color. They sank deep into her soul, they piecered her heart. The spirit got up and started to walk over._

_"Haku why is Rapisu looking at me?Haku why is she coming over here. I thought this was a memory."_

_"She isn't supposed to see you. Chihiro come here."_

_Haku and Chihiro stood side by side. They looked at the spirit and soon she was infront of them. She looked at Haku then Chihiro. The other spirits at the table seemed not to notice that Rapisu left the table._

_"What are you doing here?" She asked in an elegant voice._

_"Umm...Umm I'm just ummmm." Chihiro stuttered._

_"I'm not talking to you Chihiro I'm talking to Khohaku. Why did you bring her here? Chihiro," She looked at her. "Don't consider this your fault."_

_"Rapisu your not supposed to be able to see us. How are you seeing us? I was just showing her the memories she lost. She doesn't remember ever being you. She doesn't remember me or the others." He said franticly._

_Rapisu looked at Haku with a smirk on her face._

_"I think its good she doesn't remember you. I hope she forgets who you are now. She doesn't know what you did to me. You knew how I felt and you still broke me apart. But besides that you used to yell and try to take advantage of me. When i defended myself you called me a coward. I knew I was so much stronger then you, the gods blessed me for the way I am. I tryed to not hurt you for I cared, but you just went along like I was a piece of garbage." She piereced him int he eyes. Soon shooting a response back at her._

_"It wasn't my fault that you were such a coward. You had all those powers and you never used them, you seemed such a waste to me. And I don't know what you are talking about, the part about feelings. I don't know what you felt or what you thought. I tried to help you but yuo always pushed me away. I couldn't do anything so I gave up on you." He screamed back at her._

_"Thats why i disappeared." She whispered and her next response escaleted into a scream. "Thats why i was gone becuase i was dying and I needed you. You didn't offer me help. You left me to.."_

_Before Rapisu could finish Haku blurted out._

_"Chihiro doesn't need to know this. This isn't important to her. She is someone different no. She doesn't need you to get her confused."_

_Chihiro stared at the both of them fighting. She hated both of them screaming. She wanted it to stop, but Rapisu yelled once more._

_"She does need to know this Khohaku. She does becuase you killed me!" Rapisu whispered once more before the memory faded off._

* * *

**Well i hope you like the chapter. Memory gone wrong! Some dark past revealed. Haku a murderer of Rapisu, can this be true? Well you'll have to wait till the next chapter and once again I leave you all hanging. What a great person I am. Hey 'The One Behind It All' You probably hate me once again. I did this just for you :)**


	14. Chapter 14 Meeting The Enemy

The moon showed brightly across the ocean of water in the Spirit World. For the two spirits were still high up in the sky. Both of them coming out of a memory. One of them blank minded and the other panicking trying to comfort the other. They sat there one confused and one screaming.

Haku tried to convince Chihiro that Rapisu lied and that it was only a fabricated part of his mind, but she didn't believe him in any sort of way. She knew what she saw and heard. For she believed what she heard. She couldn't believe what she heard though. It seemed that the perfect river spirit she knew would never do such a thing. She started to doubt what she heard, thoughts swirling around in her mind. Chihiro's head started to hurt from Haku yelling and her thoughts.

"Chihiro please believe me. What Rapisu said wasn't true. Please Chihiro trust me. Please trust me." His voice seemed so pleading to her. She couldn't resist falling into a hole of truth that came form his mouth. She looked into his eyes.

"How can I know your telling the truth?" She said quietly.

"You can't because no one knows what happened to you. You just have to trust me." He said looking into here chestnut eyes. She didn't know what to believe. She didn't know what was true because all her original knowledge was erased. She was like a lost puppy out on the streets. All she could say was this.

"Well I guess we will find out soon enough. We will soon find out my past. We will soon find out what lies you have told or the truths that left your mouth." He looked at her with shocked eyes. He couldn't believe that she couldn't fully believe him. For he trusted her and she couldn't trust him. He shook his head.

"But I am telling the truth Chihiro. I would never lie to you." He said putting his hand to her head. The words seemed to sink into her. They seemed to attach themselves to her mind.

"Haku don't take it personally. I never trust anyone fully. I have learned that throughout the years. I never fully give my heart up to anyone because of the uncertainty that sometimes follows. Haku please just don't get mad."

"But I trust you Chihiro. Can't you just have faith in me that I'm not lying. I would never lie to you for I care about you." His words seemed so true but yet so wrong to Chihiro. She never trusted anyone because of her guarded heart. her always seemed to be guarded. It seemed to be an instinct to her.

"I'm sorry but I can't. Half of me trusts you, but in another way I can't. I'm sorry but I can't Haku, I just can't." he looked down away from her face. She didn't want to force her. He let her believe what she thought. It was her own fault that she didn't believe him.

"Fine." He said looking down at his lap.

"Thank you." She said gratefully. She let go of his hands, though she didn't remember grabbing them, and moved away from him. She looked at the proportioned size moon one last time, the moon that humans and spirits shared. That seemed to be the only thing they truly shared, the same sky and moon. She smiled and spread out her arms standing up on the air. She closed her eyes and let herself free fall towards the ground leaving Haku to sit alone. She whistled into the night and towards the ocean of the spirits. She enjoyed the thought of her flying through the air freely.

Haku looked up to see Chihiro disappearing through the clouds and sighed. What a girl he had on his hands. He chuckled slightly looking at the surroundings. His hair was soon rustled by the wind. He looked up to feel the air across his face and voice came through it to his ears.

"_It is quite a girl you got on your hands_." Said a mysterious, yet unknown voice. Haku turned his head and looked around him not seeing anyone.

"Who's there?" He called out.

"_Oh someone that you know."_

"Mizutohi?" He said curiously.

"_Oh do I really sound like that girl you dimwit. Use you puny brain Haku, think!"_

"Kaze?" He said again.

"_Now your on the right track." _chuckled a voice and a black silhouette appeared before him. Grinning , a dark smile the spread across his whole face of the one who stood before Haku.

* * *

Chihiro flew through the air, back towards Zeniba's house. She enjoyed the wind and the sky. She felt as if she was apart of the air. She felt like she could feel every particle in every cloud she passed through. Chihiro could open her eyes even though she flew through the air and the ground soon opened up before her. The land of the spirits was vast and great. It appealed to her liking very well. She loved the beauty of the trees and the grasses as the far as the eye could see. Her ears seemed to catch some noise through the air. She stopped in mid air listening to the winds as they passed by her. It seemd to be the voice of Haku and some other mysterious voice she didn't know. It wasn't any voice that she was ever familiar with. Chihiro retraced her flying path back to where she last saw Haku. She flew back towards the voices which were so strange to her ears.

* * *

"What do you want Kaze." A black dragon was infront of Haku. It was one of the darkest coats of fur he had ever seen. Kaze always seemed to have that kind of fur. Anyone could of stared at it for hours, being sucked into its black void.

"_Oh I'm just checking on how your doing and on how Chihiro was doing. But it seems she left a few seconds before I arrived." A grin appeared across his face._

"You stay away from Chihiro and what do you want Kaze?"

"_Oh I'm just trying to conserve the power i need." He said with a sly smile._

_"_Your never going to suceed in what your trying to do, you know that. Chihiro isn't going to give yourself to you so you can do what you want. She is smarter then that. She knows not to trust you because I was informed of your plans. We know what your trying to do Kaze." Haku shouted at the black dragon against the force of the wind.

"_Of course you do. He said sarcastically."Trust me Khohaku you know nothing of my plans and Chihiro will help me for she will choose me over you. Even if she denies me now she will choose me in the long run."_

"She would never choose you no matter what would happen. Do you hear me, she will never choose you" Kaze agian shook his head and smiled at Haku.

"_Well let her decide. She is here right now."_

Haku turned around to see Chihiro burst through the clouds up into the moonlight. She looked to where Haku was and her eyes widened at the sight of the black coated dragon before him. Her eyes started to glow an ember red once again and so did her hair. She flew over to Haku's side and looked at the Black dragon. She asked Haku who the dragon was. He explained it to her and she looked at the dragon and back to Haku. She found out that the dragon before her was the one who betrayed the Lost Ones. That he was planning to use her for his own will and he needed his help to open up both worlds.

"Kaze," Chihiro spoke. "What do you want from me?"

_"I want your help in creating a world where humans and spirits can coexsist together, so we all can live togwther as one. I want everyone to live in harmony and not fight one another. Chihiro I need you to help me make a perfect world." He looked into her glowing ember eyes. To him Chihiro seemed to look more like Rapisu every second that passed._

"You aren't trying to do that Kaze. Your trying to rule both worlds, you want everyone to be your born slaves. You want to use willpower against everyone. You want to curse those who aren't like you down to the pits where they would be tortured, and hurt. Kaze even though I don't remember you, why would you try to do such a thing?"

_"Those words never left my mouth. Khohaku was informed that information from Mizutohi. You don't even know if I said that? For I would never speak such a thing. Chihiro I need your power, I need your great powers to help me combine both worlds. I wouldn't enslave people, they would live in harmony. The people would rule themselves, I would not. I will help you remember your memories, I will helpy uo regain your powers. Chihiro you are the greatest spirits that has ever come into being, please I ask for you help."_

"Don't believe his dirty lies Chihiro. Don't let him take over your own will. as he has done to others." He hissed to her.

"Kaze even though I don't remember you. I would never help you. Not in a miliion years. So go and try to suceed in what your doing, but you fail anyway."

"_So sad to hear you have declined me offer. Well me and my fellow friends will continue on what we are doing. Just remember I hace asked for you help and you denied. Now you will pay for denying me."_

"You will fail Kaze" She said smileling and her hair and eyes glowed even more.


	15. Chapter 15 Meeting of the Protectors

Kokatsuna fidled with his thumbs as he waited for Okami to stop talking. All the information Okami said went in one ear and came out the other. Kokatsuna looked down onto the table and didn't pay attention at all.

"Kokatsuna are you even listening. I just said we got a report from Mizutohi that we have found Rapisu." Kokatsuna shook his head and looked up.

"What?" Kokatsuna said with confusion.

"I said that Mizutohi have found Rapisu. She found a spirit that contorls pretty much everything that there is and was in the human world for around 15 years. She was then bitten by a demon and brought back here, but she seems to have lost all her memories. She doesn't remember us or anytihng that happened during the Great Battle. Mizutohi also said that Kohaku explained everytihng to her and she agreed to help us defeat Kaze. She seems to remember Kohaku though, for they formed a bond when she was younger in the Human World, during her time of rest. When the spirit wondered into the Human World 5 years ago Kohaku was tied to the bathhouse and he seemed to remember the child from when she was younger as a human. He didn't realize the child was Rapisu. So they had their little happy adventure and Kohaku was free from the bathhouse and the girl left. The girl that is now here , in the Spirit World, is named Chihiro. She doesn't remmber anytihng about the Spirit World except for Kohaku and their adventure and bond. We are to go to where Mizutohi is and meet this girl. We need to help bring Rapisu back from within her." Okami said angirly.

"Oh..I get it now, so we have to help this girl because she is Rapisu but she is really not?" Kokatsuna sputtered. Okami brought his palm to his forehead. Why couldn't this spirit listen to him for he had no idea.

"Yes, Kokatsuna were helping the ...Can't you ever listen!" He groaned to the sky.

"So when are we leaving to go to Mizutohi?" Chirashi moved her hair out of her face as she asked. Okami looked over to Chirashi and answered her question.

"Were leaving within an hour."

"Oh ok."

All four of them sat around the table discussing the issue they had on their hands and how they were going to fix it. Only four out of the 8 Lost Ones we there at the moment. Kohaku, Mizutohi and supposedly Rapisu were somewhere in Swamp Bottom. While Kaze was trying to destroy all of them. Hana, Chirashi, Kokatsuna, and Okami were the only ones present at he time. Hana remained quiet unlike the others, thinking about the Great Battle since Okami brought it up. Whenever someone said the Great Battle immediatly Hana started to think of the time of great sorrow and desperation.

The White Leaves tried to take over the throne of the gods. They tried to over throw the gods of each element in order to control the power within the earth itself. They wanted to practically control everything in sense that was the Earths. The gods created the Lost Ones 5,000 years before the Great Battle because the knew someday selfish spirits would try to overthrow them. Even though the gods all together were as powerful as the world itself, for each of them controlled an element, they just couldn't keep the White Leaves away. The Lost Ones were called upon to fight the army led by the White Leaves, each of the spirits having two elements they could control, except Rapisu.

She was the only one that could control all the elements. She was considered a god she just wouldn't admit it. Rapisu was so innocient and pure. She was the one who could do everything and she seemed to be so perfect. Hana hated the way Rapisu used to shine across the battlefield wiping spirits off the face of the earth. But Rapisu had her downsides she secretly loved a fellow Lost One. Only Mizutohi was supposed to know but everyone could see it. She liked to agrivate Rapisu to show her Hana could be big and bad as well.

"Hana can you please brighten the room." Hana snapped out of her trance and looked at Okami.

"Umm..yea." Hana raised her hand and closed her eyes. Her hand started to radiate a warm light. She aimed it towards the candles and they grew in size. Even though she didn't control fire she could control light and the candles were giving off a sense of light, so Hana could readjust it or control it if she liked.

"Thank you Hana." Okami smiled towards her and Hana nodded.

"Your welcome."

"You guys wanna have dinner before we head off to Swamp Bottom since it is a ways from here?" Chirashi asked.

"Yes!" They all screamed at Chirashi. She jumped back in her chair at the sudden sound.

"Ok ok. I'll go make some dinner. You guys don't have to be so loud and energetic. But I'm pretty starving so it makes sense either way." Chirashi smiled at everyone andt hey all started to laugh. This was probably the last time they would laugh because they had to get down to serious buiness after this and things weren't going to get easier for them along the road.

* * *

All of them soon finished their dinner and of course Kotatsuna made everyone laugh once again duringt he dinner. He was telling jokes and making fun about things. All of them got up and went over what they were going to when they got to Swamp Bottom. They weren't going to take a train to Swamp Bottom. They were going to fly and run through the forests and above the skies to get there. Okami opened the doior and all of them headed out into the night, only a few hours away from sunrise to be precise.

He urged everyone into the middle of the dirt road in front of the house to get ready to go. Kotatsuna and Chirasri stood infront of everyone with their backs towards them. They started to glow and broke apart into shattered pieces on the ground. Then the shattered pieces were lifted into the air and thrown together by an unseen force. The pieces were still glowing and then it died down revealings to giant birds in the sky. One was all golden with tints of black and the other was pure black, blending into the night. Chirashi and Kokatsuna flew off intot he night towards Swamp Bottom.

Next was Hana who walked in front of Okami and whispered a few words with her hands clasped together. She disappeared from Okami's sight, turning herself completly invisible from his sight. Then a slow wind picked up blowing away some sort of invisible shield. It flowed off of her leaving a creature on the ground. The creature rose from its position form lying down and got up. It's tailslowly waved back and forth in the air and its jaw opened up giving a yawn. It turned around to face Okami with its gleaming yellow eyes. A black cougar stood before Okami and it turned off intot he night along witht he others heading towards Swamp Bottom. Hana was one of the spirits that traveled ont he ground.

Okami strolled foward and let the wind rustle his hair. He then raised both hands to the air and thunder shot down from the sky and time seemed to surround him. Time seemed to slow and watch Okami as he did his transformation and he was a controller of time. Since it was meant to watch him every second of each day. He was surronded by the vast yellow lighting as it sparked around him. It blinded the eyes of time so it couldn't see him. A few moments later it subsided and revealed yet another creature, a wolf. This wolf was a rich red and its eyes were a dark blue.

Okami looked one last time at the house and smiled. He then ran off ito the night with the others leaving the house and the dreams that were there. The mission and the battle for a new world was beginning and it started now.

* * *

**HEYS GUYS! 15 CHAPTERS! OVER 1,800 HITS TO YOU ALL AND I WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU FOR ALL THOSE WHO REVIEWED. I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO SERPENTIAL WHO HAS REVIEWED EVERY CHAPTER AND GIVEN ME TIPS AND EVERYONE OUT THERE WHO REVIEWED TOO. yOUR REVIEWS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED AND HOPE YOU LIKE THE STORY. tHE REAL STORY IS NOW GETTING STARTED! bY THE WAY THIS IS GONNA BE A LONG RIDE SO HOPE ALL YUO PEOPLE OUT THERE ARE READY 2 HANG ON. :)**

**SAVYZZZ :)**


	16. Chapter 16 A Feeling That Tries

They floated in the sky as tiome passed betweent he meeting of them and the black dragon. The clouds slowly moved but Chihiro and Haku stayed still. Chihiro's hair waved in the wind as the glowing embers of her eyes and hair grew. They shined brightly like a traffic light a dark deserted road. Haku stared at Chihiro with eyes that were full of fright. He couldn't believe the way she smiled and her hair glowed. it made her eem like she was the evil one.

"Chihiro can you please stop smiling like that? Its really freaking me out." Chihiro turned to Haku and her eyes pierced his. They seemed to catch him in thought. It seemed to catch him right where he was standing in the air. She stopped smiling and her hair stopped flowing. Her facial expression went back to normal and all the muscles in her face immediatly calmed down the moment he spoke. Her eyes were the last to go. They slowly but eventually went back to thier chestnut color. They looked down towards her feet. For some odd reason, that Haku didn't know, Chihito wouldn't look Haku in the eyes.

"Sorry Haku. Something came over me for a few seconds." Chihiro mumbled under her breath and Haku sighed.

"Its ok I...ummm...I just don't want to see the real Chihiro disappear." Haku, still looking at Chihiro, slowly smiled as he said this. Chihiro still looked down at the ground and she shifted her feet slightly. She let her hair slowly fall into her face, letting small streaks fall one by one in front of her forehead.

Haku could tell and sense that Chihiro was blushing at this statement. He moved towards her and grabbed her hands. She stilled looked at the ground but a smile spread upon her face. Haku let one hand of his slide to her face and lift it to reach his eyes. Her eyes slowed made thier way to his and her eyes started to glow again, but it was a soft glow not a powerful one. Chihiro slid her hands behind Haku's neck and Haku raised both hands to her face. They stared at each other for a few moments while the moon illuminated their faces. They both sensed how each felt. They wanted to show it. They could see the expressions on one anothers face. The light revealed every single feature of thier faces and they adored each part of it.

Haku pulled Chihiro and let his lips graze hers. She plopped back and stared at Haku.

"Oh I'm sorry it was..." But before Haku could finish Chihiro acted.

She pulled him close agianst her and kissed him letting thier lips graze each other. Haku grabed Chihiro's face and she held his. They repeated this embrace and the embrace got more violent. The kisses became more meaningful and forceful. they pressed against the face of one another touching a feeling in both of thier hearts.

This feeling was new to both of them and they searched for its meaning. They tried to understand what it meant. Their hearts yearned for this feeling to grow inside of both of them. Lips pressed and hands glided, They pressed on each others and let their bodies guide them. Then both of them tripped over one anothers foot and fell onto the ground of the clouds.

Haku and Chihiro stopped with Haku on the top. Both of them stared at each other once again. Chihiro breathed a sudden sigh and Haku touched her face and she smiled towards his face. She grabbed his neck and pulled him down towards her with his body pressed against hers. He felt her heart beating yearning for more and she felt his. The moon showed upon these two young spirits and thier yearning for a feeling they just learned.

* * *

"Yubaba's in some deep trouble. She is in some containment that no one can get her out of. Someone needs to help here and get rid of the demons in the bathhouse." Lin told allt he others around the table. Kamajii and Zeniba looked at each other with a twinkle int heir eyes and chuckled.

"My sister can't stay out of trouble for ore then two seconds can't she." Zeniba smiledat the statement she made.

"Can't agree more." Kamajii smiled the same way.

"You guys really don't care the bathhouse is in chaos?" Lin asked desperatly.

"You guys need to free Yubaba before Kaze finds a way to take over the bathhouse." Mizutohi interupted.

"Why?" They all asked.

"Because it's the place where Chihiro's powers are. It's the place where she needs to hone them back. It's the only place where she can fully regain them." Mizutohi sighed and looked at the crackling fire beside them.

* * *

**Sorry for the short chapter,but you guys liked it :)**


	17. Chapter 17 Memories Torture The Soul

She lay there, upon the white soft clouds with Haku looming over her. Both of them stared into each others eyes breathing heavily. Haku bent down once more landing a brush of his lips upon Chihiro's. She closed her eyes trying to make it last. But a thought or a memory of the past crossed her mind and her body trembled as it revealed itself to her.

She saw two people in the amists of a battle. One looked like Haku and the other looked like her other soul, Rapisu. Chihiro stood on the outskirts of the memory and walked towards the two figures to get a closer look.

Rapisu lay on the blood covered ground, begging Haku not to do anything.

"Please Kohaku, don't... please" Rapisu looked with pleading eyes towards the looming figure. Haku lifted his hand over the injured spirit, smiling. Rapisu had various cuts all over her body, which leaked with blood. Some were gaping wounds that would lead her to unconsciousness and others were bruises that were strikingly large. One of her eyes were completly covered in blood and a giant bruise surrounded it. She held herself up with one arm and her other arm hanged weakly at her side. It too contained big brusies in areas such as her wrists and elbow.

Haku closed his eyes and his hand turned a soft blue and water flowed up from the surrounding ground. It started out as drops of water, then increased sizes of water began to appear. Rapisu's eyes started to shed droplets of water that ran down her face.

"Kohaku, please I'm real."

"I'm not going to believe the various lies you tell. You are not Rapisu you demon." He said with his eyes closed.

"But..." Rapisu said with a cracked voice and tears flowed even more.

"Shut up!" He yelled with his eyes flying open.

Both his hands now contained giant circulating water around them and beyond his body stood a massive wave of water. The water flowed in the air awaiting Haku's command.

"Let thee who curses a spirits soul die in vain. Let them die a cursed and harmful death by the God's will" Haku's hands shot foward and the surronding water enclosed Rapisu in a wall of water. Her eyes widened in horror and tryed to summon a vast wind current to keep the water away, but she did it to late.

The water enclosed Rapisu and she squrimed and tryed to push her way out, but she couldn't. The water kept her in and everything out.

Haku laughed at the sight of Rapisu struggling in the water containment. He closed the walls of the water even more limiting air in the space. Rapisu soon realized that she was starting to lose her breath. Even though she could control water, her blood loss limited her use of power. She struggled to hold her breath for as long as she could. She banged against the wall of water screaming for Kohaku to let her out. He shook his finger at her saying no.

"A bad demon deserves to die." He laughed.

"Kohaku.." She bubbled her last words. "I am real." Her eyes blinked one last time and her body stopped the crashing. Her body stopped moving and floated to the bottom of the conainment. Kohaku laughed and looked at the limp body. Her hair fell upon her bare back. Her eyes stared into a void that death had taken Rapisu.

Kohaku let his hands drop to his side and let the water flow back into the ground. Leaving the body laying on the cold, bare ground. He looked at the body and his body gesture seemed to change. He dropped to his knees and let his head drop into his hands. Tears slowly rolled down his face.

Chihiro was confused by the sight of this and time took her back to see Haku's face in front of her.

"Chihiro what happened to you? Are you ok?" Haku looked with worried eyes.

She was lost and confused by what she just saw. She just saw Haku kill Rapisu, or her. She literally saw him deny Rapisu's plead and drown her. She saw him laugh at the sight of her dead body. Seconds later he was crying with his head in his hands.

"You..." Was all she said to him.

"You what? Did you just gain a memory Chihiro because thats what it looks like?" He tried to make Chihiro answer but she just pushed him away. She threw him of her with a tremendous force. He was thrown like a rag doll into the air, but he successfully caught the air before falling through the clouds. Fluffing his hair he looked at Chihiro with a confused and angered face.

"What is wrong with you? Are you going crazy Chihiro? What the hell was that for?" He stormed over towards her above the puffed clouds.

"Stay away form me you monster!" she yelled at him. "What Rapisu said in that memory was true. You did kill her or me. Or you killed...Ughh...You killed both of us." He stopped moving and wide eyes formed. He tryed to say sometihng but her couldn't find anything to say.

"You want to know what I saw. I saw you drowning her with your own power. You laughed and made fun of her. She begged for your mercyand you didn't bother to consider it. You murdered my soul Haku. You murdered my former being." Her hair turned burning red and her eyes began to, too. Her hands began to glow a deep red and her hair burst into flames.

"Chihiro calm down please. You misunderstood whatever you saw. Please Chihiro listen to me." He tryed to calm her but nothing worked.

_"Let thee who curses a spirits soul die in vain. Let them die a cursed and harmful death by the God's will_. Thats what you said to me Haku. Thats what you killed me with. Well Haku may you die a harmful death Haku. May you die by the God's will." Haku stared in horror at Chihiro.

"I would never do such a thing. It wasn't my fault Chihiro. You don't even remember who I was. You don't remember who you were. You just a stupid lost spirit with no meaning. Don't go blaming me for sometihng I didn't do. I wasn't able to control what I did. I had things happen to me you would never dream of. Here you go on wishing I would die because I killed you. Trust me I would reverse it all, but I couldn't help it Chihiro. At least you were born again because the God's let you. You were the only one who they would revieve if you died repeatedly. They would let the rest of us die in vain and wouldn't care Chihiro. I wanted to help you but I couldn't." He yelled at her and tears rolled down the dragon boy's face.

"Why couldn't you help yourself Haku? What was holding you back Haku? Please tell me!" She turned him into a teared up soul. Tears rolled down his face both of sadness and anger.

"Because the love I had for you wasn't good enough." He whispered softly.

* * *

All of the lost ones ran through the forest and flew through the skies. They were traveling towards their destination in need to see the truth for thir eyes. They needed to see if the lost Rapisu was where Mizutohi said she was. Chirashi and Kokatsuna were flying high in the sky and Okami and Hana ran upon the earth.

Okami dodged the trees swiftly as a bird would soar through the sky. Hana lept through the branches as she watched Okami run. Her legs carried her lightly on the branches as if she was flying. She barely touched then was off into he air again.

"_We need to cross over this lake in front of us in order to follow the tracks to the witches house." _Okami sent the messages into all their heads.

"_But what are we going to do when we get there?" _Hana asked Okami.

"_Well we are planning on meeting this spirit to see if she really does hold Rapisu's soul. Then if she is Rapisu we are going to have to start helping her to remember and train her. She needs to regain her powers before we can go against Kaze." _

_"But what happens if the girl isn't Rapisu?" _Chirashi looked down at Okami.

"_I doubt Mizutohi would lie about saying she found a spirit that might be Rapisu."_

_"Okami does have a point Chirashi." _Kokatsuna pointed out to her as they flew side by side through the moon lite sky.

All of them leaped onto the late sprinting over it as fast as they could making thier way towards Zeniba's house.

* * *

"Why is it the only place she can regain her powers?" Zeniba asked curiously.

"Because she has been tied there by a connection which seems to be Kohaku. She feels safe with him and some other reason that I'm unfamiliar with." Mizutohi stared into the fire as the flames moved witht the pace of her chest.

Zeniba looked at the door and sighed. She shook her head and wondered why she was the center of attention.

"Is sometihng wrong Zeniba." Linasked curiosuly.

"I think we have more visitors appraoching in some time."

"Who are they?" Kamajii asked.

"I sense that thier are four spirits. Two of which are flying and two which are bound to the earth." They each have a radiance of power to them."

"Umm..I kind of invited my other fellows to your house to meet Chihiro if you don't mind." Mizutohi said with a smile.

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**Well heres chapter 17 and more 2 come. Hope ya all like this one and sorry for not updating sooner I have had sometihngs going on for school. Well I hope all of you out there still keep reading. Well bye for now !**

**Savyzzz :)**


	18. Chapter 18 Does Life Have Its Laughs?

Clear skies covered the Spirit World as dawn approached its time. The sun slowly peared from behind the horizon as it showed its brillinat lights. A dark dragon looked upon the vast sea of water. His pulsing skin seemed to contain a black liquid. He watched the water slowly flow in then retreat at the edge of the shore.

"Time flows as if it is a wave. It comes in, bringing in all the happiness people want. Then it retreats taking away all of that happiness which makes the lives of people miserable. The waves upon the shore represent the flow of time and life. I will control this flow and time itself. I want to bring a new world into order. I want to make the waves flow the way my heart desires. I want my heart to make the waves move upon the shore of the flow of time and life." The dragon slowly smiled witht he risin sun.

He let out a swirl of fire from his mouth and it slightly touched the water with grace. Smoke rose from the water and the dragon walked into the water. His body and tail left a trail of spirling ripples as the body moved foward. The water seemed to part for him as if it obeyed his mind. It soon created a path a ripples through the waters edge.

* * *

Dawn showed over the horizon as the Lost Ones ran through the forests.

_"Kokatsuna i see soemthing in the clouds."_ Said Chirashi as her eyes wondered the sky.

_"Chirashi you mean that red light?"_ Kokatsuna pondered the sky trying to find out what the little red speck was.

_"Okami, something is in the sky to the left of you. Chirashi was the one who spotted it."_ Kokatsuna told Okami through telepathy.

_"Ok you guys check it out. Me and Hana will remian on the ground for now."_ Talking seperatetly he had to tell Hana something.

"Hana we will wait down here for the moment their gonna check out the light. Ok?"

"Got it." Hana replied.

The other two flew far into the clouds looking for the light. Their bodies pasted through the large masses of moisture content. Arising through the last of the clouds, their wings reached fresh air. In front of them levitated two figures. One a tall, green haired youn man and another slightly shorter, ember haired girl. Her hair flowed in the wind like a fire and her eyes looked like a burning hearth, like Rapisu. The bpy, they guessed was Haku. They transformed into their human forms and walked towards the figures.

* * *

Chihiro's eyes widened at the words that came out of Haku's mouth. The words replayed over ad pver in her mind.

_The love i had for you wasn't good enough._

"The love.. the love!" She thought. "He loved my former self or does he love me now?"

Chihiro was going to ask him what he had ment, but the two figures peered out of the corner of her eye. she turned her head to see a girl and a boy walk towards of them waved in Haku's direction but looked at Chihiro awkwardly. The boy seemed to examine her self being. He scanned her like a machine and she felt unclothed in front of him.

"Long time no see Kohaku. It has been a while, 1,000 years I guess." Chirashi smiled as she said this.

"Kohaku who is this girl? Is she you mate?" Kokatsuna asked in a stange voice.

Both Chihiro and Haku looked at each other with straight faces. Then their eyes met and their mouths twitched. Suddenly they burst out laughing and Chirashi and Kokatsuna looked at them weridly.

"You seriosuly think were mates. We are just friends guys." Said Haku

"Duh" Said Chihiro.

"Whatever you say." Chirashi said shruggering her shoulders.

The two figures talked to Chihiro and Haku about where they were going. They asked if this was the girl that contained Rapisu's soul. All of them exchanged questions and answers. They got to know Chihiro's whole human life and what Haku was doiung for the past 1,000 years. Kokatsuna seemed to peer at Chihiro every couple of seconds. He seemed to feel uncomfortable around her, like she wasn't safe or something was wrong. Chihiro tried to ignore him as they all talked.

The sun rose over the clouds slowly and shadows were cast upon their faces. Chirashi suggested that they go to Zeniba's house to talk further. So all of them headed down to the earth to meet the other two figures loming in the earth. As they landed the figures turned. One being a black cougar and one a wolf. The wolf looked at Chihiro and its eyes widened. The wolf slowly changed back into a human staring st Chihiro and the blaack cougar turned into a short petite brown haired girl. Chihiro looked at the boy and her mouth dropped open.

"Arashi?" She said to the boy.

"Chihiro Ogniro?" Saod Okami to Chihiro.

"Is it really you Arashi? What are you doing here I thought you moved away. You said you were moving tot he other side of the world. Are you really a Lost One?"

"Yes, I am Chihiro. But I'm so glad to see you. I thought I would never see you again. You were one of my best friends and I hated to leave you. I never knew what you were. If I knew you had the spirit of Rapisu I would have brought you here and helped you live in the Spirit World." Okami said.

Chihiro suddenly went into a full, dead out sprint towards Okami. His eyes widened and he tried to get ready for the impact. She spread out her hands and wrapped them around Okami tightly. She wished he never left and told him how much she had missed him. Her hair turned even more red now.

Haku and the other stood their in shock that these two knew each other. A sudden sound came from the forest behind them. They all turned to look and see Mizutohi.

"Omg my God...How long does it take for you guys to come to the house. We have been waiting so long and I don't want to hear any excuses." Mizutohi said with an annoyed smile.

"Well sorry were kind of having a reunion here party pooper." Said Chihiro.

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**Hey I have been busy with school and stuff but I'll never stop writing trust me. Well here is chapter 18 :)**


	19. Chapter 19 Changing For The World

Exhausted, all of them sat around a large table Zeniba created. She had to widen the table so all eleven of them could fit or else some of them would be standing up against the walls or sitting on the floor. Okami, Hana, Chirashi, and Kokatsuna sat there with their head in their hands as they listened to the conversation. They discussed why all of them were there and what they were in search for.

"We need that girl." Kokatsuna pointed towards Chihiro.

"I know the basic reason why you guys need me, but truly why am I so important.? Am I that big of a deal in this bad guy kind of thing or saving the world?" Chihiro asked confusingly.

"You really truly don't know who you are do you?" Okami questioned and Chihro shook her head.

"You one of the greatest sprits who ever existed. You hold every single power imaginable to both man and spirit. You can call on the power of the sky and the mother of the earth at your will. The earth and universe will obey you at your will. You the most freaking powerful spirit in the world and you don't know that!" Okami shouted loudy and Chihiro laughed.

"Why are you laughing?" Okami asked.

"Because you said freaking instead of the other word. You dont like cursing do you?"

"What...What do you... thats competely off topic of what we are talking about." Okami was frustrated about this girl.

"Ok, so we need to help Chihiro regain who she truly is and remember what she can do. We need to bring Rapisu back. We need to get rid of her old memories and bring back the old ones." Okami said which seemed like an order instead of an opinion.

Who was he, Chihiro thought, that he thought he could tell her what to do with herself. She wasn't a thing to be toyed with. If she was really what they said she was then she could show them who was boss if she needed to.

"But I don't..." Chihiro tryed to say, but Mizutohi chimed in.

"Yea, but what should we do first though? Should we help her with lighting or dark magic?" Mizutohi wanted to defeat the evil Kaze was trying to create.

All of them exchanged their opinions on how they should help Chihiro. This was the very first meeting where almost all of the Lost Ones were seated together at one place and table. At the table Lin just stared at Chihiro and started to shake her head. She didn't understand why no one realised what she did. Kamaji just sat there listening to everyone talking and tried to intake every piece of information. Chihiro tried to speak numerous times,b ut was soon cut off by someone else. She just plumped her head in her hands as dawn made its way above the horizon outside the window. Her eyes seemed to peer over towards the mirror beside the door and she saw herself seated next to everybody. The sun shined through the room and reflected over the table. Something behind her in the mirrior seemed to catch her eye. Looking more closely the light scattered over what looked like tiny sparkling particles behind her back.

Chihiro lifted her hand and felt behind her and nothing seemed different. Looking again in the mirrior something petruded out of Chihiro's back, it was wings. They slowly took shape as the sun spread across them. The wings seemed to build themselves up as time passed. She stared in awe and watched her back grow a pair of wings. But they were wings like the one of angels they were the ones of another creature. Chihiro couldn't figure out what creature had there wings though. They looked so familiar.

"Chihiro, are you ok?" A voice sounded next to her.

Her ears caught the voice and retaliated it and registered who it was, but her eyes stayed attached to the mirrior. A pair of hangs grabbed Chihiro's face and turned it towards them.

"Chihiro look at me." Chihiro turned her face and it was Lin. Lin had a concerned look across her face.

"Look at the mirrior Lin. Look in the mirrior don't you see it." Lin turned her head and looked into the mirrior by the door. She saw Chihiro in it and saw nothing except for everyone sitting at the table. Lin looked back at Chihiro and asked what she saw.

"Nothing, forget it." Lin shrugged her shoulders and signaled for Chihiro to follow her. Lin led Chihiro away from the table towards the back door of Zeniba's house. Zeniba didn't seem to notice them exit the house and neither did anyone else.

"Chihiro whats wrong. You keep trying to talk, but people keep cutting you off. Is there something bothering you? You know you can tell me anytihng if you need to?" Chihiro stared at the sun as it filed the sky with tints of orange and pink.

"Lin they want me to change and I don't want to. It seems like they want to destroy myself and bring Rapisu back. How do they even know I want to help them. I'm sick of them saying that I need to remember things I don't want to remember. I like the way I am and I love you and Granny. I love the friends I have here and I don't want to change that. I wish I was never bitten by that demon thing when I came out of school that afternoon. Maybe it would've been better if I never came back here. Maybe it is better I never met Haku. He brings me into the worst and the best things in life, but he just doesn't seem right anymore. Her seems to care about me as a friend then goes off with another girland kisses her in front of me its annyoing." Chihiro sighed and looked at Lin.

"Chihiro, Haku will never change. He is a dragon and dragons with always be that way. He is only a friend it shouldn't bother you that much unless.. Chihiro do you.."

"I..." Something came from behind a bush. Both of them turned and a white amd emerald dragon stood in the sunlight. The dragons feathers waved through the air even though there was no wind. She couldn't stare at him so all Chihiro did was look down.

"Chihiro say it. Say what you want to say Chihiro. I'm all ears say whatever you want about me, but I saved you when you were young and I could've let you die. Come on tell me im ignorant or retarted. Please tell me what you truly feel because I'm confused." Raising his voice as he changed back into a human.

"Haku, shut it you ignorant dragon." Said Lin.

"Come on Chihiro tell me!" He screamed at her.

"I love you." She whispered as her feet shuffled from side to side.

The wings started to appear again staggering out of her back. They grew to a gigantic size, bigger then then herself. The folded over themselves and Chihiro looked up at Haku and her eyes were now golden. They started to shape into those of a creature that seemed so familiar. The sunlight illuminated her in a brilliant fashion. Her skin started to glow a clear white and particles started to lift off of her. A wind picked them up and blew them off her body. Chihiro's body grew and feathers of a red color slowly replaced her skin. Her hair turn into hair that formed a mane of sea foam blue. Her feet grew into two paris forming four claws. They sank into the soft soil beneath her and the red feathers covered a creature before Haku and Lin.

A beautiful dragon stood before them. One of red and sea foam blue. Her eyes seemed to reach into your soul and thats what it did to Haku.

"You don't look anytihng like Rapisu did." Haku said.

"You are a dragon. Chihiro what is going on. I didn't know ... um.. dragon!' She blurted out.

"I am Chihiro Ogniro." The dragon spoke. " I am not Rapisu Tomokora of the Lost Ones. I will not risk my memories to lose my friends and life just to become what you need me for Haku. I love you dearly, but I will never change for anyone. My life is written and becoming someone im not isn't written in it." Her voice was pure and faithful.

"I love..."Haku heard something and turned around, Lin following his move. There stepped out Zeniba.

"What are you two doing out here come inside." Zeniba said.

"Two? But Chihiro is.." Turning around Haku saw that no one was behind him except for a red feather. Lin looked two and gasped Chihiro was gone quick as she came.

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**I'm opening up the option for anyone to review this story even though they don't have an account. So for now anyone please review and give me your feedbback. For everyoine reading I will have some more chapters up in the next 2 weeks its just i have regents week next week and its crazy lol bye for now ttyl**


	20. Chapter 20 Connections

**_Hi Everyone its Savyzzz again with Winds of the Lost:) Here is th 20th Chapter and I he you like it. Also as a reminder i do not own Spirited Away, except for the characters and anything else I made up. I have opened up the option for anoymous reviews so please anyone out there, includng members please review. I wann know ho I'm doing :)_**

* * *

_"What are you doing in here. Why did you come back inside Chihiro? That little episode outside came out of nowhere. How the hell anyway did you figure out to do that? Chihiro look at me." Haku thought to Chihiro._

Still she reamined at the table and Lin just walked over to some room down the hall. The sun showed through the windows and everyone still talked not noticing the rising sun. Okami or Arashi as Chihiro refered to him, was sitting down at the table, or more so standing chanting the ideas he had on his mind. Whispers soon settled in and everyone looked at Chihiro.

"We have come up with a plan Chihiro. The memories of your former past will come with time and that time will come fast. Since you have entered the Spirit World your recollection of your past has been coming back to you. That will help you understand who we actually are to you and who you really are. More importantly they will help you remember the powers you are able to control, which are pretty much every element there is. Once you have succeeded in that we will have to find a way to stop Kaze. We think we know what he is planning, but were not sure. So Chihiro do you want to follow tis plan? Its more of guidelines really that we need you to complete if your willing to." Kokatsuna spoke.

Chihiro seemed to be thinking about what Kokatsuna said, but Haku kept whispering to her through her head. What he said right after Kokatsuna said made her mind change for a minute with agreeing with Kokatsuna.

"_Chihiro listen to me not them please." Haku thought. _

_" Theres something more important here. If you try to remember all the memories something bad is going to happen. Don't ask what it is, but remembering the past sometimes can be very dangerous. Your not Rapisu, you are Chihiro. Those memories will bring back someone that truly isn't you, and I don't think the Gods placed you in the Human World for that reason. I think they placed you in the Human World to discover the world for yourself as a human instead of a spirit. They placed you in there to let you grow stronger in your soul without knowing. Meeting you when you were younger, I felt a power that I didn't feel in other humans. That and your pure heart were the reasons I saved you. Yes, all children hearts are pure at the core, but not all have a light shining beyond the power of the soul." _

Chihiro turned away from the table and saw Haku standing alone at the closed back door and wanted to see what he was truly thinking. She wanted to know if he really meant what he just said and if he was right. She wanted to know what that reason was, that if she remembered all the memories something bad would happen. Could she speak to him through her mind, she thought to herself. It was worth a try to her.

"_What is that reason why I can't remember the memories of Rapisu's past. I don't care if you told me not to ask, but I have a right to know. They're my memories Haku and seeing that last memory is making me regret you more then ever. Seeing you kill Rapisu in front of my eyes in my thoughts killed me. Haku can I believe you anymore, because everytime I talk to you I feel like I don't know you anymore. I truly didn't know anytihng about you in the first place. Maybe Rapisu knew everytihng about yuo but I don't. All I know is that you killed her for a reason I'm not sure of, but she knows what it is." _

Chihiro had said what she felt and that was it. She was going to act all happy anymore towards Haku. She wasn't going to act as if that memory was a mere dream, it was reality. This was the last straw and she wasn't going any farther. Chihiro set her mind on what she was going to do and that was acceping the guidleines Kokatsuna layed out for her.

"_True, there isn't things you don't know about me, but one thing you know is that I have no reason to lie to you. What you saw was true and it has a reason to go along with it. I think I'll tell you later on how that happened Chihiro. What we need from you now is to just help us, but don't become someone your not. Thats all I'm going to say because I have no further response to what you said." _

Haku walked over to the table and sat down in his chair. He made no eye contact with Chihiro and she did the same.

"Chihiro are you ok? Will you accept what I put forth?" Kokatsuna asked once more. Nodding her head she replied.

"Yes, Kokatsuna I accept what you put forth."

"Thank you Chihiro and one more thing I have to state."

"Yes?"

"We have to give you a teacher...Hmmmmm...I'll do that sometime later, but just remember that." She nodded towards Kokatsuna. Nodding back, Kokatsuna's brown hair fell in his face and he quickly swept it back into place.

The meeting came to a close at that moment and every got up, but Chihiro. She remained at that table and thought to herself. The Lost Ones talked to Zeniba and she pointed out that they could stay at an inn down the road because she didn't have enough room in her house. The Lost Ones understood and cleared out of the house leaving the six original beings in the house. Lin, Kamaji, Chihiro, Haku, and Zeniba remained still in that house and the quietness disturbed them all. Lin ad Kamajii discussed where they would stay since the bathhouse was attacked by demons. She told them that they would remain for here for the time being.

Haku stood at the corner of the room and stared out the window as he looked at the sky. Chihiro was to angry to look at him. He wouldn't tell her anything and he hid things from her. Chihiro had a little part of her that needed to know what was going especially if it was about her being or safety. She would try to make the best of her life while she was here. Chihiro thought she might as well get used to it here because it seemed like she wasn't going back to the Human World or her parents. Her Parents!, she thought. She completly forgot about them. She wondered how they were coping with her condition or the state she was in. They wouldn't wait forever for her to wake up or would they. Her parents would have to let her go soon. If she was in the hospitial they wouldn't stay by her hospitial bed forever. Since she was in a coma and machines were keeping her alive the doctors would let her go soon if she didn't respond. After thats happens there would be no chance for her to get back to her parents.

"Mom...Dad...Please be ok." Tears started to flow from her eyes down her face. She sniffed and wiped her eyes but the salty water droplets kept falling. Her brown hair fell in front of her eyes and they put a veil around her sadness. Something stirred insie Chihiro and it was a sharp pain in her stomach. She ignored it and tryed to stop the tears, but no one seemed to even know she was crying.

Sweat started to pour form her face and the pain spread from her stomach to all the parts of her body. At the feeling she screamed a blood curling scream out. It seemed to cut the air in a swift manner. Everyone turned and looked at Chihiro. She clutched herself and fell from the chair onto the floor. Her body rocked back and forth and her eyes squinted shut trying to make the pain go away. Chihiro screamed over and over at the pain that struck her like a hearbeat. Zeniba swiftly moved to her and Kamajii and Lin stood in place still. Haku looked at Chihiro and tryed to ignore her. It was cruel for him to do that and he knew it , but he just couldn't go near her.

It would get him again if he did and he didn't want that to happen. He didn't want to hurt her anymore then he already did. It would come back and haunt him and hurt Chihiro like it did to Rapisu. But his body took him flying to Chihiro's side.

"Zeniba whats going on with her?" Haku aske calmly.

"I'm not sure, but we need to get her onto the bed in the room I set up for her." Zeniba shouted over Chihiro's screams.

Haku swifly and lightly picked up the screaming being, bringing her across the room to the hall. Zeniba followed his path whispering words to herself. Haku turned down the dark hall and went down to the third room on the left side of the hall. His clothes flowed in the breeze and his hair whipped past his face. He stuck his hand out and the door whipped open and slammed against the wall. Haku tore the sheets off the bed and placed Chihiro in it. As soon as she was placed she curled up exassperating with pain and terror.

"Haku!" She screamed." What's happening to me, help me please." Tears wet the bed and hair. Her eyes were stained with the pain that paced through her. Zeniba hands started to glow as she stood next to the bed and placed them on Chihiro's chest. The light rejected the body and threw Zeniba against the wall. Her back slammed and she slid down onto the floor panting.

Haku turned to Chihiro and saw that she was slowly fading. Her body was becoming transparent before his eyes. She tried to cope with the pain, but it got worse. Her eyesight started to fail and Haku was drifting away before her. Those emerald eyes were wide with fright. This was truly the first time she saw him scared.

Haku tried to pick up Chihiro and it failed. He tried to breath in and out calmly trying to think of what to do because with every passing second Chihiro was drifting away from the Spirit World. He tried to use her powers and was thrown against the wall as well. He formed an air pocket behind him that cushioned his blast. He bounced off the wall with his feet back to the bed. Chihiro reached with a clear hand to his face and mouthed help. He tried to grab her hand and comfort her, but his hand would pass through.

"Mom.. Dad... whats happening." She whispered and then a wind swept in through the open window. It passed over Chihiro and Chihiro fell with the wind, she passed and disappeared with it. Her body was gone and her imprint in the bed began to slowly fill itself again.

"Chihiro...where are you...Chihiro." Haku tried to search the bed to see if she was just turning invisible, but the bed held no body.

"Her mom and dad? What did they have to do with that pain? Could she be going back... no don't let her go back to the Human World.. She'll die when she wakes up from the coma. Gods what are you doind to her?" Haku whispered as he slumped his body next to the bed. His green eyes looked down and his hands clutched together.

"Why am I so stupid!" He screamed from the room.


	21. Chapter 21 Where The Heart Belonged

Pleading to herself, Chihiro tried to get out of the black void she was in. Nothing flowed past or at her. It was just an empty void with no feeling. She tried to search for something she could grasp onto, a thought or a light. This black void was her mnd and her mind was in blackness right now, nothing could enter or exit. She screamed trying to see if anyone would answer.

"Anyone , please help me!" Her voice echoed, but none returned to her call of plea.

No wind or sound except for her voice was heard in that void she was in. It was like the void she was in a few days ago with the Realm God. But something caught her eye to her left. It was a light shining dimly and slowly getting brighter with every passing second. Chihiro turned towards th light and started to run towards it pumping her legs. To her this was a way out of horror. This place was creppy and lonely to her. She ran for a purpose and staying in this void wasn't one of them. The light stayed in the same place even thought Chihiro was moving. It was getting more and more frustrating with each passing section.

Blood plused through her veins towards the heart that kept the body going. Her limbs strectched out, trying to reach the light.

"Come on!" She cryed. Her hand stretched a bit more and it swiped at the light. The light pulsed and took in Chihiro's hand. It seemed to examine it then it burst into a huge gleam. It ingulfed her body in the action letting her escape from the void. A smile appeared on her face as her foot dissappeared into the light. She finally figured out where she was going and it seemed to be worth it, no matter how much she loved the Spirit World.

* * *

The body lying on the hospital bed gasped in a whole lot of air in it's lungs and fultlered it eyes open. The nurse standing beside the bed looking for sometihng in a draw quickly turned around to see what the noise was. There on the bed wasth body of the girl and she was wide awake. Her I.V. was still attached to her arm and the monitar was stable.

"Doctor she's awake. Doctor or anyone please report to Room 113." The nurse screamed from the room. Her voice echoed and another replied loudly.

"Got it Nurse. I am coming right now." The voice called. Footsteps echoed through the halls and they traveled towards Room 113. The Doctor told herself i was a miracle that the girl woke up. They all thought she would never wake up from that coma or whatever she was in. A coma would last much longer then what she was in, but she was in a condition that was unknown to all the Doctors at the hospital. Turning the corner she skidded to a stop infront of the door.

"Thank God she is ok." The Doctor said smiling. Walking over to the bed the Doctor looked at the girl.

"Are you ok young one? Can you hear me? I need to know if your ok." The Doctor whispered softly to the girl on the bed. Nodding the girl replied to the Doctor.

"Yes, I'm fine, but I want to see my parents." The girl said softly.

"I know you do, but we have to make sure your stable enough for anyone to see you right now sweetie." The Doctor replied still smiling.

"I said I want to see them now. I didn't come back here for nothing. I could go back agian and I don't think any of you would like that at all would you." The grls face held a sign that she didn't want todeal with these annoying people right now.

"I'm sorry sweetie but not right now."

"I said I want to see my parents right now and if you don't get them here I'm going to cause this whole hospital so much pain you'll regret it." The girl said what she meant and first she was going to do something to this Doctor if she didn't do what she wanted.

"Nurse get a syrinage ready please. I don't want this child hurting or agrivating herself anymore. Get her stable and I will notify her parents." The doctor turned to walk out the room,b ut the girlw asn't going to let that happen.

"No I'm not lett ing you do that to me. Call my parents Doctor...Call them now!" The girl yelled and the Doctor suddenly was forced towards the phone and she dialed the number fast. The phone began to ring. The doctor's eyes look frightened , but there was nothing she could do. The nurse grabbed the syrinage and was ready to jab it into the girl's arm. She was suddenly looked into the eyes by the girl and was taken control of. The nurse took the needle and stabbed it into herself. The needle sunk into her skin releasing the liquid into her blood.

"Yes Mr. and Misses Ogniro your child is awake and she would like to see you... You'll be over right away?...Ok then see you soon." The doctor hanged up the phone and Chihiro le go of her mind. The doctor fell o the floor and grabeed her head.

"What the hell are you?" The doctor asked in horror snapping back to reality,

"I'm someone that isn't supposed to be messed with and you'll gonna forget all about this very soon." The girl said smiling.

"Your a demon Chihiro Ogniro." The doctor hissed.

"No I'm just a girl, who isn't what she truly seems to be." The girl looked the doctor in the eyes and the doctor emories of what just occured vanished in a void of haze never to be opened.

* * *

"Hello were looking for Chihiro Ogniro?" Said Yuko to the lady sitting at the desk.

"Oh hello. Ummmm Chihiro Ogniro?...She should be in Room 113 down to the right at the end of the hall." The nurse pointed and the two parents thanked her.

They walked down the hall looking at the numbers on the door until they came to Room 113. Loking in they saw their daughter upon the bed talking to the doctor. Chihiro's eyes drifted away from the doctors face and looked over towards her parents. A smile spread very quickly and her eyes widened.

"Mom and Dad its so good to see you." The doctor turned and greeted her parents. She explained everything about Chihiro's position and condiditon she was in. The nurse made sure that Chihiro was ok and then she gave the parents sometime with their daughter.

"Chihiro we were so frightened that you weren't going to be ok." Yuko said to her daughter walking over to her beside and Akio followed.

"Mom I'll always be fine no matter what." She said smiling.

"Chihiro please don't let anytihng happen toy uo after you get out of the hospital. We are going to have to make sure your ok from now on. We are going to have to monitar where your going and who you are going with." Akio said

"As crazy as that sounds I agree with your father Chihiro. We don't want you getting hurt again. We don't want to lose our daughter tot his lost world." Yuko frowned at her daughter.

"Mom, Dad I'm old enough to take care of myself, I'm fifteen for the God's sake. I don't need to be limited my freedoms because of this. This wasn't even my fault." Chihiro pleaded to her parents.

"Chihiro your still a child by the law and your stil under our legal care." Akio sat down on the edge of the hospital bed and stroked Chihiro's leg.

"What the heck..What is wrong with you guys the law doesn't have anything to do with what your talking about. Dad get your fithy hands off my leg ,what the hell are you doing?" Chihiro kicked her fathers hand and eyed him carefully. Her father got up from the bed and looked at Yuko.

"Chihiro don't talk to your father like that."

"Don't you tell me what to do. I wanted to see you guys and you talk about this. Why did I even waste my time coming back to see you." Chihiro hissed.

"What do you mean come back?" Her parents asked in a scared voice.

"From somewhere that you thought wasn't real when I was ten. Somewhere I told you about that you thought I was mental. I came back from Spirit World Mom and Dad. I came back to see you, but I guess that isn't important right now is it. I'm going back because this," She pointed at her parents"was awaste of my time. I'm going back to do my duty that I now have. Gods of the heavens I give up my human life. Take me back to where I truly belong." She screamed towards the ceiling.

Her parents stared in horror at her daughter. She must have done something to her head because they thought she ws going crazy right now. Her parents slowly backed away towards the door and her mom ran out down the hall because she was getting a nurse to help. Her father stood watching as his daughter began to scream even louder. His daughters hair turned a bright red and her eyes gleamed a ember red. Her hands ripped the I.V. off her arm and her body lurched forward. Wind blew out of nowhere and swirled the bed sheets around Chihiro.

Chihiro smiled and looked at her father. She didn't want to be here anymore. The wind carried her soul back to the world she thought she belonged in. Lifting it out of her body, her body fell limp upon the bed and sprawled itself out. Akio didn't dare go near his daughters limp body because he was already on the floor unconsious.


	22. Chapter 22 Dimensions and Time Apart

**Hey everyone Chapter 22 finally here. Sorry for the wait. i have been busy lately and was on vacation over the weekend. I won't be updating porbably for another week because I'm going on vacation again for the Fourth of July. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed typing it :) I appreciate all who read this and more importantly please review. I also posted a poll on my profile to see what I should do with the story. I really what everyones opinion out there who reads Winds of the Lost. Please Review, Review and Review!**

**Okami: Savyzzz you better not hurt Chihiro. We're are going to need her help. If you hurt her you are going to regret it.**

**Me:Okami, everyone has their ups and downs. Thats what makes a story exciting. What would a story be without no action?**

**Okami: Savyzzz this is a story? Wait so we're not real?**

**Hana: What? Are we fake?**

**Kokatsuna: I like pie!**

**Chirashi,Okami,Hana, and I: What?**

**Kokatsuna: I thought you needed to know that.**

**Me: On with the story!**

* * *

The sun was just above the horizon as the Lost Ones arrived at the inn. A fairy looking garden spirit was sitting at the desk in front of the door. Hana walked up to the desk and tapped on the wood. The little fairy looked up and nodded. She put the pen down and crossed her arms over her broad chest. Looking down for a second, the fairy checked the log book and the vacant rooms. During this time Hana grew long green hair and creamy wings out of her back. The white wings folded out of her shoulder blades and caressed her back. The fairy looked back up and her eyes widened. She rubbed her eyes and made sure she wasn't seeing things.

"Can I help all of you?" She exclaimed.

"Yes, you actually can. We're looking for four bedrooms we could stay in."

Hana leaned over the desk shifting her wings. Her eyes stared right at the fairy not letting her move. Okami and Kokatsuna looked at Hana as she watched the fairy. They didn't seem to move their eyes off of Hana. They were glued to the sight of her. Chirashi rolled her eyes in exasperation at them. They always stared at Hana when she looked like this, even Haku. They seemed to lose their minds and enter a realm that surrounded Hana.

"Ummm..Let me check the log book." The fairy flipped the pages carefully checking if any rooms were available. She found many open slots on the page and it was more than enough to supply them with rooms. She wondered who these mysterious spirits were. The fairy never saw them before around these parts and wondered if they were here to cause trouble.

"Ok we have four rooms and how long are you going to stay?"

Hana's facial expression changed a bit, it cringed. She didn't think about how long they were going to stay at the inn. All she thought about was finding a place to stay. Hana turned towards the others and mouthed the words_ what should I do? _Her eyes moved to Kokatsuna and had the expression of 'help me'. He looked at Hana and shrugged his shoulders at her. Of course he wasn't going to be any help to her and when was he ever except for cracking jokes at the wrong times. Chirashi knew she was next and waved her hands frantically in the air at Hana. Chirashi didn't want to be a part of any of this and Hana rolled her eyes. Okami would be able help to her because Okami always seemed to have the answers and he was the smart one after all. Okami mouthed two words to Hana and she turned staring back at the fairy at the desk.

"We're going to stay here for about a month." The fairy didn't like the sound of that answer.

"You can't be here for a month. We only supply rooms up to two weeks per stay. I'm sorry, but you're going to have to find another place to stay. I refuse to let you stay here so leave. How can you even have that much money to stay? It would cost a fortune for all of you to stay at this inn, do you not understand that?" She was now standing out of the chair, which fell on the floor, and was raising her voice at the Lost Ones. Okami rolled his eyes at the fairy and walked away from the other two. He tapped Hana on the shoulder and she backed away from the counter. He leaned over the counter and stared at the fairy. Redness took over the fairy and she shrank back into her seat.

"You're a pretty one aren't you, with a snotty attitude." He said as he leaned over the desk pulling the fairy's head up with his fingers. "You have no idea who we are so I suggest you look a bit closer."

Okami stepped back and nodded towards the Lost Ones. They understood what he was indicating and Chirashi and Kokatsuna stepped forward. Both of them put their hands together and closed their eyes. The bodies of the two spirits tensed and they started to fade slowly. Cracks also appeared on the skin visible to the other spirits. These cracks continued to grow up and down the limbs of the spirit figures. A sudden cracking sound was heard by all the spirits in the room and the pieces of the figures fell to the floor. The pieces started to move in a circle and they slowly rose in the air. They illuminated the room and every piece of furniture.

They levitated for a couple of seconds then they burst together simultaneously. Figures formed at the pieces came together and fell to the floor. Glossy wings, dark as night, shot up in an endeavor. The created pockets of wind around the room and two spirit creatures stood from the floor. One completely black and the other had tints of brown in it. Chirashi and Kokatsuna stood in their spirit forms on the floor, as ancient birds. They eyed the fairy and Hana was the next to go.

Hana rejected their glares and did her own thing. She flipped her hand graciously into the air and her hair retreated into her scalp. Roots grew from the floorboard even though there was no solid ground. They swirled through the air to meet Hana's hand and they gripped her fingertips, sinking into her skin. They climbed down her body, enclosing her in a veil of roots and vines. They entangled every limb and every inch of skin on Hana. Soon the figure which was once Hana fell to the floor curling up in a ball. The roots cut through the floorboards and light shot out of the roots. The roots reminaed still for a second and it seemed like something was formed inside of the containment. The roots slowly fell away revealing a black figure upon the floor. A tail waved swiftly back and forth gracefully through the air. The creatures eyes were a bright yellow that seemed to radiate its own source of illumination. It pushed it muscles and rose to its feet, growling at the fairy.

Okami stepped away from the desk and slightly smiled. He opened his palms and the lamp across the room began to flicker. The light cracked inside the lamp and the electricity flowed through the air to his hands. It swept through his veins and through his blood stream. His body soon showed brightly blinding the other sprits in the room. The windows reflected the illuminated body. His body slowly distorted itself and changed from a normal stature to an abnormal figure. The abnormal figure stood on the floor and its blue eyes watched the nature spirit behind the desk.

"The twelve Great Gods provide us, and we are the Lost Ones." They all said simultaneously. The fairy's eyes widened and she started to shake and get very nervous. She didn't mean to disrespect them or ravage their actions. She didn't want any trouble with these kinds of spirits or bad luck was definitely going to come her way.

"I'm...I'm sorry here please take these key. They're the keys to rooms eleven, twelve, thirteen, and fifteen. Please enjoy your stay and if you need anything please ask us. We're at your service." She bowed to the spirits. The animal spirits disappeared and the Lost Ones human- looking bodies replaced their own. They nodded to the fairy and walked in a single file line to pick up the keys to the rooms. As Hanna picked up her keys she looked at Okami.

'I knew this was a good idea. See persuasion is always the key.'

Hana winked at Okami and he rolled his eyes. Hana skipped into the hallway shadows leaving Okami left in the empty room except for the fairy. Okami swiped the key from the counter and eyed the fairy.

"Watch your back young one, things aren't always what they seem." He put his hands in his pocket and walked down the hall silently to his room not knowing he wasn't going to relax for a long time.

* * *

Haku sat at the table with his head in his hands and he sighed not knowing what to do. Chihiro disappeared at random times and he never had a true grasp on her. Could he ever keep her safe or would the spirit forces always take her away. He knew she could take care of herself and she showed it, but he just couldn't let her go like that. There was something in him that attacthed him to her.

It was a feeling that broke him down everytime she moved away and every step she took and every foot she placed upon the earth. It was a feeling that ached his mind everytime he saw her. This feeling was called love. He knew he loved her and that it would never fade. No matter how long he existed this feeling was stuck with him. He said he loved her,but he didn't truly mean it. He realized now that she was gone his life always seemed to be in turmoil. He couldn't think straight and his heart beat out of sync. again this feeling was called love and he would always have it.

His mind was filled with plans on how to get Chihiro back to the Spirit World. If she was gone for to long in the Human World, her spirit would reattach itself there and her soul would close itself to this world. But he wouldn't have to try to think anymore because a voice awoke him from his deep thinking.

"Haku..." A faint voice came from the opposite side of the room by the fire. Haku, wide- eyed, quickly stood up knocking down the chair, looking towards the fire. The fire crackled and moved to a rhythm of the earth. No sign of a spirit or inabled body stood there. Haku thought he was going crazy and suddenly the voice sounded again.

"Haku I'm here and your not crazy."

He looked closer and saw the fire glint. It rose out of the hearth and reached out towards Haku. A silouhette formed out of the fire, stepping onto the floor. Its hair flowed and its eyes were a piercing ember color. Haku knew who it was and he backed away from it and sat in the chair. The fire climbed back into the hearth settling into its home.

"Chihiro...Where are you. How did you know what I was thinking." He said dumbly.

"Silly, remember I can control and do everything capable of a spirit. Don't worry about me and don't try to come look for me. I'm in some void that is completely empty. It has no feeling and has a sense of emptiness to it. I got trapped here after I left the Human World and I think someone intercepted my travel back to the Spirit World. Otherwise I should've arrived back at the place I left. But it felt like someone tripped my travel path. I might be wrong or I might be right. I think someone is bound to show up if they caused this." Chihiro said to Haku.

Haku had a hurt expression on his face. He wanted to go help her and she just denied him for no reason. Actually Chihiro always had a reaosn for anything no matter what it was and usually her reasons were pretty good. Chihiro eyed him curiously and smiled.

"Haku I know you want to come and help me. I can feel it in you and tis time isn't the time and come whisk me away from the "horrid" place. Yes, I do have a reason for what I said. That reason is if you try to come where I am, you will complelty destroy yourself because this void was specifically ment for me or I wouldn't even be here. You will disappear from existence and your purpose will dissovle into thin air. Nothing of you will remian and Haku I don't want that to happen to you. You know that everyone, who surround you, will probably be lost without your knowledge. The Lost Ones will be lost and so will the bathhouse. They need your courage and bravery. They need you to save the two worlds that coexisit. Please don't come for the world will be lost without your footsteps and the skies will cry until your return which would never come. I..."

She stopped and felt what Haku was feeling and she knew he understood, but something was bothering him.

"Chihiro I promise I won't come after you. I will though yearn for your return. Don't lose yourself in you troubles and in that void because the world needs you, the greatest spirit to ever exsist. More importantly someone else needs you the most or their life would be in ruins. That person is me and when the skies cry I will cry with them. When the earth shakes from misery I will shake with them. But promise me you will return no matter what the circumstances. Promise me you'll never leave me and promise you'll always stay by my side." Haku said looking Chihiro straight in the eyes.

Her legs started to shake and her eyes started to shut. She trembled and her legs gave way. Her body weaped on a ground that Haku couldn't see. Tears rolled down her face. but the tears looked like flames licking the surfac eof her skin. She didin't want to be in this void and the words Haku said troubled her heart. She realized now that she loved him and she couldn't stop. She saw that Haku loved her to and he would never let her go. He meant everything he said and they would never lose their meaning.

"Chihiro I..."

Chihiro's head snapped towards the right looking at a place Haku couldn't see. She moved her whole body to face in tht direction and her hair grew even more red.

"Chihiro what is it? Do you see something?" Haku tried to imagine what Chihiro was seeing.

"A spirit is coming towards me and I know who it is. Can't he just leave me alone. Why does he need me so bad."

"Who is it?"

"Its Kaze..." She said plainly with no sound of fear in her voice. She sighed and yelled to him.

"Kaze come over here and stop lingering over there. Stop stalling and torture me if you need to. I will never give my powers to you. Whatever your plans are they'll never work." Chihiro screamed. Haku heard a distant voice as it replied to Chihiro."

"Oh Chihiro no need to make a fuss. I created this, isn't it lovely. Your powers don't work here so you truly have no control over me or anything. Tell your lover I say hi as well." Quickly Kaze flew towards Chihiro as a dragon, landing in an earth shaking tremble before her. She just stood there calmly rolling her eyes. Kaze took a claw and slowly smoothed Chihiro's hair and whispered to her and he laughed. Chihiro just stood still glaring at him. Kaze drew back her claw and streatched it then reached in and grabbed Chihiro's waist. She tried to push them away, but they wouldn't budge.

"Let go of you nasty ass dragon." She screamed.

"Thats not a nice thing to say to your ex boyfirend is it." Kaze said with a smile.

"What?" Chihiro cried wide-eyed.

"Chihiro!" Haku yelled becuase he was a bystander in this event and that was all he could do. He was a dimmension farther away from helping her. Chihiro screamed and the fire image of her cracked then faded. He ran towards the spot she was just standing in. She was gone and now Kaze had her. What else could go wrong for him. Haku closed his eyes and tried to concentrate and reach Chihiro. He tried and tried with no success. He slumped to the floor creating a loud thumping sound.

* * *

Zeniba darted into the room down the hall to see what was going on. She arrived to see Haku on the floor breathing heavily.

"Haku what is the matter with you. I told you to get some sleep." She said angirly. He didn't look up at Zeniba and remained quiet.

"Kohaku Nushi answer me now. Why aren't you in bed?" She said loudly. Haku looked up faintly and said.

"Kaze has her."

"Has who?' She said curiously.

"Chihiro."


	23. Chapter 23 Winds of Memories Part 1 of 3

**Sorry for all those who read Winds of the Lost. I have been on vacation, but I got back Monday morning. I lost interest to type tuesday and wednesday. I finally started typing yesterday and finished today. I hope this chapter satisfies your interests. This is part one of a three part chapter or a large 3 part mini series kind of thing. I'm just going to call it a chapter. The second will be posted sometime this weekend. I have also posted a poll on my profile on whether i should continue Winds of the Lost or not. Also if I should add a sequel. I was thinking of adding a sequel and I already have it all planned out. But I won't continue this if you don't want me to. Well here's Chapter 23 and may you enjoy it. Answers will be answered in this three part chapter. I promise the whole ex-boyfriend thing with Kaze and Chihiro will come to light in the next chapter. Drama is starting to pick up soon and its gonna get worse. :) Ex- boyfriends, past memeories, old enemies, former loves, tragic accidents, the killing of Rapisu by Haku, and other questions will be answered in chapter 23, Winds of Memories part 1 of 3. :) Please please please review!I want your feedback :) I always take reviews into consideration. I want to know how I'm doing :)**

* * *

She opened her eyes, blinking them drastically, trying to get her vision back . Her muscles were tense and sore. Pieces of gray hair fell infront of her wrinkly face. She pursed her lips and puffed out a wad of air. The pieces flowed up with the updraft then back down infront of her eyes. She tryed to move her hands but they were bound behind her and her feet were locked together by some unknown force. The containment sat in a lonely corner of the witches office gradually floating above the priceless carpet. She looked around her office to see it completely trashed and blood was scattered all over her carpet.

"My God...What the Hell happened? "

Yubaba's facial expression grew tense and her crows feet increased along the side of her eyes. How long had she been out and what truly happened while she was unconcious? All she remembered was being locked up by that mysterious figure who lingered into her office uninvited. Whoever that was, was going to pay for this chaos and ruthless actions.

Right now all she cared about was getting out of this containment. She needed to check out the rest of the bathhouse and the rest of the workers. The workers surely helped fend off those disgusting little demons, didn't they. She closed her eyes and concentrated. She was going to use black magic against this containment to get out of here. This containment was created by black magic and black magic that was even stronger was the only way she was going to get out of here. She flipped through her memory banks to find a spell. Yubaba needed the right one to break out of here and it needed to be strong. She remembered a very old one she used many years ago against a strong demon.

Black vapors spilled from her fingers, as they leaked into the containment. Her hands shook as they realeased the magic into the surrounding area. The vapors diteriated the containment to nothing. They broke down the building blocks of it. A few seconds later nothing remained except for Yubaba standing in the corner of the room with a frustrated expression. Whistleing around her index finger everything in the room seemed to flow back into place. The blood stains on the carpet were lifted from its fibers into the air and thrown out the window, books were put back on their shelves, gold was placed back in the metal box on the desk, papers were neatly stacked upon each other, and lamps were overturned on the desk.

Yubaba breathed heavily looking around the room making sure everything was in place. The wind blew gently through the window waving the curtains around in the air. She made sure everything was in check, then she decided that she would make her way to the workers floors of the bathhouse to see what had happened. She dragged herself to the office door and peered down the hall. Everything in the hall seemed to be in check and nothing seemed out of place. Sunlight from various rooms streamed into the halls casting shadows upon the paintings and walls. Yubaba stepped out of the office and the floor creeked under her weight. She looked down and cursed at the floor.

"Darn these floors. I just had them fixed about three weeks ago." She said in exasperation. "I hire the best spirits to fix them and they can't do damn thing. I bet I could hire a fithly human and it could do better."

Yubaba clasped her hands together and concentrated on her body. She didn't want to waste time walking on these floors no one could fix. Her body slowly raised itself into the air and her hair floated above her head in a bundle. Yubaba's clothes drifted freely in the air as it was set free. She opened her eyes and smiled.

"Now this is better." Seemingly she prefered this over walking anyday. Who wouldn't want to drift around in the air freely instead of being earth bound like humans were. Yubaba's body flew through the halls darting corners and missings objects by inches. Everything flew by her fast paced. Time seemed to speed up and life seemed to stop. The seemed to speed by leaving trails of their images streaked across Yubaba's vision. Nothing seemed clear, but her body knew where to go because she had traveled these halls so many times. Doors opened at her biding and curtains raised at her presence. She was the queen and everything would obide under her royal hand.

Soon the railings of the top floors were under Yubaba's grip. She looked down at the bathtubs on the bottom floors. Water filled the floors of the seperate rooms. Yunas layed across the floors in various areas remaining still. Their hair hung in their faces and bodies looked pale as night. Blood plastered the walls in various formations. Scratches were etched into the floors and skin of the bathhouse workers. Yubaba's eyes widened in horror at the sihgt of the bathhouse below. She hopped over the railing falling into the floors below.

As she dropped past floors her eyes caught bodies torn to pieces. Limbs layed scattered across the floors leaking drentched hopelessness on the bare wooden tiles. Dead bodies screamed for revenge that would never come. Other showed pleas and begs of mercy that weren't taken into concideration. Skin was torn from muscles and they layed sticking to the floor. Workers were sprawled over banasters with their backs split open. Blood leaked down their backs and slowly dripped onto the floors below like rain on a window pane. Their skin was pulled back and teeth marks covered the arms and legs. Some workers hand no heads which were rolled serveral feet from their actual bodies. The eyes stared in horror at the last thing they saw. The facial expressions represented the last moments they had to live being torn to pieces. The heads held dangling pieces of flesh as if the heads were seeingly ripped of by hand.

Just inches before she hit the wodden tiles her body balanced itself on an invisible object. She then lowered herself in a random bathtub room. Luckily there was no one dead in the surronding area. She crept across the floors to the entrance of the small, secluded room. The hallways to the other rooms were silent and dead as a doornail. Nothing made noise and no wind blew through the bathhouse. Every single piece of the bathhouse held no spirit nor sound. It was as if everybody was killed or they got away. These dang demons killed off all her workers and how the hell was she supposed to replace them all. But after all Yubaba did have a heart and she did think how terrible this "tragedy" was.

She looked into various rooms to see Yunas laying upon the floors, while spirits layed motionless inside the tubs. The water was a cool red and the spirits bodies slowly bathed in it. Blood was sprayed drastically along the far walls as if the demons had sliced the spirits suddenly. It was splattered like a baby took a paintbrush and dragged it across the wall lazily, with no care.

_Baby, _she thought. _Oh my gods, Boh._

Yubaba's eyes widened. She completely forgot about her little baby. How could she have forgotten? Once again she rushed into the air forgetting about all the dead spirits scattered around the bathhouse, and rushed to her office.

* * *

Her office doors flew open and Yubaba sprawled herself into the room. Her eyes bugged out of her head and sweat poured down her face. The salty water droplets formed fro ehr pores and soaked into her expensive clothing. Yubaba flew towards the little curtains that were the entrance to Boh's room. She desperatly needed to know if her baby was ok.

With the point of a finger the curtains zipped into the air and she entered the colorful playroom. All the pillows were thrown across the room and the mobile hanging from the ceiling was ripped from its place. The paint on the ceiling was peeled and cracked. All that remained was distorted looking figures, or faceless figures who lost their meaning. Boh was no where to be found. She raveged through the pile of pillows to find nothing except a giant, emptiness of air, where her precious baby was not.

Not thinking straight she destroyed the room even more then it already was. Suddenly a loud crashing sound was heard from the next room. A flicker of hope sounded in Yubaba's heart. She dropped what she was doing and rushed into the next room. Her eyes swept over the room like a hawk to see a huge dragon looming over the room. Its red eyes looked up and its skin looked like a live ocean. Water seemed to move within the dragon and its sky blue mane rippled on its own energy. The dragon craddled a oversized baby in its claws.

The baby layed still, but its chest rose and sunk in a steady fashion. Its bib was slightly crumpled around its neck and the baby hugged its self as its thumbs was in its mouth. Drool spilled from the baby's mouth onto the dragons fur. The dragons eyes met Yubaba's and it smiled. Yubaba without thought jammed her hands together and energy flowed to her hands.

A small ball of fire soon leaked from her fingers tips and was aimed at the dragons. Yubaba sank into a defense stance and launched the fire right at the dragon. The dragon shot a claw in the air infront of the baby. The ball of fire flew through the air straight towards the dragons claw. The dragons merely caught the fire and inclosed it in her claw. She raised the claw to her mouth and stared at her claw. The dragon opened her mouth, showing her rows of teeth, and blew at the claw. Small particles, like ice shards, swirled out and enclosed her claw. The slipped in between her grasp and sunk into the fire. Shutting her mouth, she eyed Yubaba carefully and opened her hand. Billowing smoke rose from the ridged claw.

Yubaba heart completly sunk. How could a dragon intercept a witches power so easily. The dragon placed a single sharp, edged nail to her snout, signaling her to be quiet.

"Who are you?" Yubaba hissed. "Why the hell do you have my baby?"

_I'm protecting your baby for you ma'am. I go by the name of Mizutohi, one of the Lost Ones. I am here to cause no harm. I have come to check for something in this bathhouse and I needed to know if it was ok or not._

_"_Ahh one of the Lost Ones. That still doesn't explain why you're here or why your holding my baby." Yubaba didn't take intruders lightly, no matter who they were.

_Your baby was screaming loudly that I heard it from outside the bathhouse. So i rushed up to the room to find the baby getting harmed by a doragon demon. The thing was cornering your baby about to claw its eyes out. I rushed over and took out the thing before it could kill your baby. The reason I was coming here was to search for the Omoide no kaze. We're in need of its presence for a fellow friend, a Lost One. For her memories are in the winds and they are lost. For her to regain them we need its power. Without those memories we can no longer move forward in our plan. We need her to regain her former self in order to unlock the future. As they always see the keys to the future always lie in the past._

The dragon layed the baby on a nearby chair carefully and returned to face Yubaba. She let her hands drop to her side and her body slowly broke apart into blue feathers. They flowed in an air current, one of a spiral motion. Light illuminated over powering Yubaba's eyesight and soon the feathes planted themselves onto a figure of light. The feathers melted into the light former pale skin. The skin sealed itself all over revealing a long, blue haired girl before Yubaba.

"Why don't we go in your office so we an speak."

Mizutohi said, which sounded like an order more then a suggestion. Yubaba sighed and signaled the tall slender girl to follow her. They entered the dark office lit by the sunshine from outside. Yubaba whisked a chair for Mizutohi from across the room. It slid across the carpet to the desk. Mizutohi gracefully, step by step, walked over to the chair. She placed herself and faced Yubaba across from her. Before Mizutohi could even let out a word Yubaba spoke.

"How do you know about the Omoide no kaze, or more referred to as the Winds Of Memories? I was placed with the responsibilty of caring for it and I don't let anyone near it unless one of the Great Twelve Gods asked. It powers are only used in the greatest of circumstances and I don't think you have a reason worthy of using it."

Yubaba leaned forward over the desk sticking her nasty nose in Mizutohi's face. Mizutohi smiled and eyed Yubaba. She placed her hands neatly in her lap and cleared her throat.

"I think I have a resonable reason. Is trying to spot a traitor of the Lost Ones from exposing the Spirit World to the Human World good enough. Even worse isn't trying to bring the worlds together and rule them good enough." Mizutohi expression flattened out while staring at Yubaba. Yubaba slowly sank back into her seat and chuckled.

"I guess thats a worthy reason, but who is this for. How does this correlate to that reason? Needing the Winds of Memories has nothing to do with trying to stop a spirit form taking over two worlds."

"Its for one of the Lost Ones that disappeared over 1,000 years ago, Rapisu. She was put in the Human World and you might know her. Remember the little 10 year old girlt hat came to this bathhouse five years ago. Its for her and you might know her by the name of Chihiro."


	24. Chapter 24 Winds of Memories part 2 of 3

**Who would you want with Chihiro Haku or Kaze? Let me know...and here is part 2**

**Haku: Don't Torture anymore Savvyzzzz.**

**Me: Oh Haku your heart won't hurt that much...**

**Haku: I bet you it will. You don't know what I feel for Chihiro.**

**Me: If you love something let it go. If it comes back that love is true and if it doesn't it was never meant to be.**

* * *

A throbbing pain ravaged her head as she tried to sit up in the bed she was in. The pain traveled all the way through her body, coursing through her veins and even her soul. It ached in her so bad. How could such pain exsist. It seemed to crunch her inner soul, tearing at its walls with sharp claws. Chihiro's eyes adjusted to her surroundings and she was in some kind of house. She looked at her arms and they were strapped to her side by gray laces that were woven into the bed. Gray laces also held down her legs as well, except there were two; one at the mid thigh and one at the lower calf.

Chihiro wiggled around her feet and pressed them into the bed trying to break the laces. Her mind concentrated on her feet, sending a strange power to them. The power moved through the muscles and veins in Chihiro's body. It coursed through her to her feet. The internal fire moved through her like an old feeling, it didn't feel new or uncomfortable. The fire tryed to light her feet on fire to burn the laces, but something prevented it from doing its work.

"I told you your powers are useless in here. How many times must I repeat myself?" A strong voice sounded to her left.

Chihiro's head whipped to the left and there stood a dark colored dragon. His body was a coal black and his eyes were a rich gold. His fur down his back was a gold color as well and it stung her eyes to look at it. His horns curled above his head blending into the black body they were attached to, but the only thing that seperated them were the gold rings that wrapped around them. He stood on four legs like most dragons of his kind do and his claws stuck into the wood on the floor. His eyes were the only thing she ever looked at the at made her want to hide herself. They seemed to break her down just looking at them. This dragon before her was the most incredible thing she had ever seen.

"Oh I'm not that good looking am I?" Kaze chuckled as he walked over to Chihiro. He raised a claw and stroked her chin.

"You don't remember how in love we were do you? The sunrises and the sunsets. The midnights where me and you stared at the stars for hours. How could you not remember any of those. Instead, and of course, you chose Kohaku Nushi, oh the sweet emerald dragon, over me. Hahahaha." He laughed out loud. Chihiro stared at him in horror with wide eyes.

"I would never chose you anyday in this lifetime. Maybe I was stupid in another lifetime, but I'm not stupid now. Of course I would chose Haku over who, who wouldn't? You're trying to destoy two worlds for heavens sake!" Chihro screamed at Kaze. She hated his guts even more every time he spoke a word out of his mouth. She wanted to crush his soul to pieces.

Kaze stepped back a bit and sank his claws into the floor. His mouth pulled itself back greatly and suddenly his fur seemed to whip faster and faster. The black fur upon his back began to turn red and it became redder by the second. He looked furious at Chihiro's comments. He couldn't remain calm much longer. She agrivated him to the brim of exsistence and he had enough. He tryed sweet talking to her and he tryed to "comfort" her, but apparently that wasn't good enough for the little toughy princess.

"I have had enough with you!."

Kaze screamed in Chihiro's face. Kaze backed away and folded his hands together. The room seemed to shake and the floor seemed to rattle. Kaze's body completly changed fur exploded into shards of light and those goldens eyes completely drowned Chihiro's soul. Chihiro turned her head away from Kaze as he did what he was doing. She couldn't bare to look at what was happening. Somehow if she looked it broke her down into tiny little pieces.

His body glowed brighter and brighter with each passing second. The dragon that was once as dark as night that stood before her was now completely illuminated with light. His body broke apart and swirled around in a vortex. A figure stood in the center of the vortex. But all that was visible was a brightly, illuminated figure which was changing shape by each passing second. The light shards spun around and slowly started to settle into a figure; a human body. They sealed themselves around the body of light and everytihng came into focus. The light started to die down and Chihiro turned her head and slowly a male body was seen.

A tall slender male strode towards Chihiro's bed. He wore a long black hakima around his waist and a neatly tucked into black shirt. The black shirt hung over his chest to big for his thin proportion. Spiked blond hair stood atop his head and those gold eyes still remained. He had a slender face, more on the oval side, a petite nose, medium cheeck bones, a high forehead, and a creepy smile, at least to Chihiro at the moment. Chihiro forced herself to stare into his eyes showing no fear or compassion towards how incredible he looked.

He soon stood at the foot of the bed. He looked at Chihiro not looking happy at all. His expression said he had lost all patience with Chihiro the moment she yelled all those things at him. Kaze was going to do whatever he needed to do now to get the power he needed. He sat down on the bed near Chihiro's waist and looked at her.

"You know I'm going to do anytihng I need to, to get the power I desperately need. Even though I still love you more then anything in the world, I need the power you hold inside you; every single element. You hold the key to every element and power imaginable. Even the rarest of them are deep within you, but the rarest one of all is the internal fire. You hold that within you and its the biggest part of you. The internal fire can reach into the souls of any spirit or man and unite them with anytihng. You have the power to control and tap into any spirits soul and human soul as you wish. Yes even spirits have souls. We do have feelings just as you humans do, or your past life did. You're officially a spirit again my love and that means your in my grasp one again. I will ask you once more, will you help me into combining to worlds for the better and the worse? Will you help me unite them and gain power and I will make you my queen Chihiro? This is more then power Chihiro. The souls of man hold sometihng greater then any spirit can imagine, and they lose it right when they die then it goes to waste, back into the freakin earth where it started off at."

Kaze stared at her and Chihiro stared at him. She shook her head bad and forth slowly indicating a no. She wouldn't drop down to the point where she was so vulerable. She would never give herself to this 'thing' infront of her. He didn't truly love her anyway. Anyone who loved another person wouldn't lay a hand on them even if they wanted something so badly. But the worst enemy to a person a or a spirit is love. Love can create war and chaos, but it can also create happiness and joy as well. Chihiro knew this very well and thats why she tryed to stay clear of it except for Haku. They was something that tied her to him that she couldn't break or shake off.

Kaze's eyes glowed brightly and a hand raised from his side over Chihiro's body. Kaze lashed out the back of his hand to the side of Chihiro's face. Chihiro's head whipped to the side against the bed violently. She breathed in hard, but didn't scream. She calmly turned her head back to face Kaze.

"Is that the best you got? Hitting girls is you way of making them listen to you?" She chocked from the bed as a red bloch formed on the left side of her face. She turned her face giving Kaze her other cheek.

"Come on hit me again." She intimidated him. His face became even more angry an it also held a hint of hurt. It almost kind of looked like he regreted doing that, but he soon made it fade.

"You have tested my limits and I'm done. I'm torturing you and your mine. You're my play doll full of power. I don't care if I'm going to hurt you by doing this, but I need what I want. And if you won't give it to me I'll go inside your soul to get it." Kaze said smiling.

"Inside me? What can you possibly do to get inside me?" Chihiro aske din horror and question.

"Watch me little princess of mine." Kaze chuckled.

Kaze raised a hand a closed his eyelids, hiding his miraculouds golden eyes. He whispered words that sounded like greek, and these words brought blackness to Kaze's hand.

_"I̱ thálassa to̱n psychó̱n eínai sto chéri mou kai epainó̱ óti af̱tí̱ i̱ psychí̱ eínai dikó mou káto̱ apó to chéri mou apófasi̱_."

The words flowed out of his mouth like water. His hand became a dark, clouded mass at the end of his arm. Sparks appeared from this clouded mass and Kaze's eyes opened. He brought his left hand down towards Chihiro's chest. Chihiro tryed squirming away and tryed to sink herself into the bed. All Kaze did was laugh at her and he brought his right hand to her shirt. He grew a sharp claw out of his right hand and sliced a piece of her shirt down from her neckline to her midchest. He placed his left hand over her heart or wher eher heart would be. The blackness sunk into her skin and into the place where her soul reisided.

She watched in horror at what Kaze was doing. She tryed to bounce him off the bed with her body, but anytihng she did wasn't good enough.

"Get out of me you ugly fiend!" She screamed in horror.

"I told you I'll do anything to get the power I need." Kaze's hand and arm completlely disappeared into Chihiro's chest and a sharp pain beyond belief shot through her body. Her eyesight started to fade and her body shaked uncontrolably. She screamed and screamed, but she knew no one was goign to come and help her. She was all alone and on her own. She told Haku to leave her be and when she needed someone no one was going to come.

"Someone help me!" She screamed in a croaking voice that echoed throughout the whole room.

* * *

Daiki stood at the edge of the of the vast ocean as the sun dicipated into the blank horizon. The waves rolled up the stairs as the boats full of spirits started to cross the ocean that was once a dead river, the Kohaku River. The young spirit twidled his fingers as his face tilted up intot he wind. Everything seemed to pass him by. His brown hair waved in his face and the clouds moved across the pink sky. This youngster was taking a break from a day at the bathhouse.

His bare feet stood on the dried cement. But suddenly his feet seemed to feel wet. The young spirit looked down at his toes to see the waves overlapping his feet. Rough waves started to come in and the spirit boats started to rock back and forth fiercely. The waves became bigger with each passing second and they weren't going to get any smaller. The water rose and rose and the spirit backed up the stairs.

Daiki seemed curious about the sudden wave change because it usually never happened. The waves were usually calm and rolling upon the sure. Thunder started to sound in the distance and dark clouds started to rush. Wind picked up blowing at the small bushes and grass. He looked at the sky seeing it turn to a misty black. This was quickly changing weather and something told him that something was wrong. He started to back away from the shore faster and faster rushing back to the bathhouse. He overstepped a cement stair and collasped onto the stair behind him, causing it to go into his back. He arched with pain and grabbed his lower back quickly.

"Come on stupid feet." Daiki tryed to stand up but his back woudn't let him. He layed there looking at the sky. Somewhere something was happening that wasn't right. Soon his head started to hurt and a faint whisper was heard inside his mind.

_Someone help me_

It flowed silently, but it was loud enough for Daiki to hear it. He thought he was imagining he thought he was going crazy. He dismissed it as a lone thought and continued to try and get up. Daiki placed his arms on the cement and pushed up slowly letting his back rise. He got it farther and was about to...

_SOMEONE help me _

It came again, except it was more sharp and noticable. Daiki didn't care about this lone thought, but he took it into a bit of thought then threw it away.

_SOMEONE HELP ME!_

His head literally went into turmoil. Daiki screamed at the sudden scream inside his mind. The scream repeated itself over and over again. He grabbed his head and rocked back and forth. Someone was in trouble it occured to him, but why is he only hearing it.

Screams came from the bathhouse and trampling could be heard form the small stores. The Spirit World was getting thrown out of balance and the natural order was slowly just turning the opposite way, but for what reason, Daiki thought.

* * *

Hours had passed after Chihiro had gone and Haku didn't know what to do. It was actually nearing nighttime once again. The sun was setting and time was slowly passing. Clouds were rolling in fast and thunder could be heard in the distance. He turned to Zeniba sitting at the table and looked her straight in the eyes.

"I sense something is wrong Zeniba, but what?" Haku asked questionly. He couldn't figure it out.

"I don't know Haku but something is..."

_Someone help me..._

Both of them looked at each other and spoke simotaniously.

"Did you hear that?"

Haku definetly saw this as a sign that something was wrong. The room was darkened by the clouds that were rolling in. He started to walk back to the table and...

_SOMEONE help me..._

That voice, he knew that voice from somewhere. It clicked in his mind like a sudden thought. Zeniba closed her eyes and concentrated trying to feel the Spirit World's circulation of natural order. She could sense it was slowly moving out of order and these weather changes and this strange voice was not right. It disturbed her soul somehow and it hurt her head a bit.

Haku shook his head a bit and started to head back to the table and it came again, but louder.

_SOMEONE HELP ME!_

That voice, it belonged to Chihiro. It was definetly Chihiro's voice he knew it now. She was pleading and it sounded desperate. How could she connect with him and Zeniba, he thought. If they both heard it others must have to. She was connecting with every spirit through their minds, trying to be heard by at least someone out there. She was in need of help and he had no idea what was happening to her. She said she was going to be ok in there. she trusted that he wouldn't come and he couldn't anyway. That was the veil that prevented him from going to her. There had to be someway though, there had to be.

"Haku, it's Chihiro isn't it." It was more of a statement then a question to him. He nodded slowly in Zenibas direction and tryed to calm his nerves down a bit. His mind wanted to race to her and rescue her from Kaze. It had to be Kaze doing sometihng to her. He was going to kill him once he saw him. Then that desperate voice came again, but only to him.

_Haku please come, please. I need someone to get this nasty dragon out of me. Find a way to come._

There was a shudder in her voice.

_Kaze is trying to take my internal fire. He is literally trying to rip it out of my soul. I need..._

He voice seemed to be cut short and it disappeared form his mind. She needed him,b ut how could he get to her. With Kaze trying to steal the internal fire from Chihiro he would be in complete control. With that two worlds would be joined as one, two dimensions will be knoted. His thoughts were swirling but a sudden knock rapsed at the door as a sudden shudder of thunder was heard.

* * *

**Hey guys sorry for the long wait. I have been busy and all. I hope this chapter satifies your taste and hope to be back soon.**

**-Savvyzzzz**


	25. Chapter 25 Winds of Memories Part 3 of 3

**Hey guys here is Part 3 :) I hope this chapter is ok ,and if it is, please review. I want to thank all the people who have reviewed my story and the people who just plainly read. All of you out there I thank you so much. By the way, anyone who has read my one-shot The Lies and The Heart, I just want to let you know its a story now :O If you haven't read it then go check it out. I deicded to make it a story because I plainly felt the urge to do so, but hey this isn't about The Lies and the Heart. I give you part 3 of Winds of the Lost and I hope you enjoy it...**

* * *

Closing her mouth sullenly, Yubaba felt no need to comment to this. She knew there was something off about Chihiro. But she didn't know that thing off was that big of a deal. This issue was one that was very unheard of, but it did account for the use of the Winds of Memories. Her facial expression still did read that she was completly dumbfounded by this. She sat there for about ten minutes on end, after Mizutohi spoke, trying to fit these pieces of knowledge she now had together.

"Wait...So that weak girl that came here five years ago is the one thing keeping this world from tumbling? Your serious right?" Yubaba burst out laughing. Her chair tipped back and her desk shook. Papers started to fall off the desk and her began to fill with tears. She slammed her fists onto the desk and leaned forward towards the blue headed spirit. Still laughing Yubaba's face stuck in hers and laughed.

"You seriously lead me to believe that, that puny thing is the savior of us all."

Mizutohi sat calming looking at Yubaba. Her eyes met hers and she kept a straight face nonetheless.

"Yes ma'am. That girl you call puny is about the ten times stronger then you. But apprently she doesn't know how far her powers reach in this world. Chihiro, if she knew her full potential, could literally make you poof into a puff of smoke." Yubaba continued to laugh in her face, but slowly receded into her chair. She straightened her clothes and fixed her hair. Yubaba's finger twirled in a few circles and everything moved back into place. Flying through the air like a crowded highway of non-living things.

"So you are serious young one. Or so I can tell by the facial expression your showing. But the Winds of Memories is hidden deep within this bathhouse. Only I can access its location and power. So if you needed it I would have to come with you."

"That's fine, but the Lost Ones need to as soon as possible. Chihiro will need to regain her former memories then she will have to learn how to control her powers again. She is like a lost spirit in this god foresaken spirit world." Mizutohi sighed and looked at the floor thinking about how long this was going to take.

Suddenly Yubaba rose from her chair and signaled the tall, lean spirit to follow her. They exited the office making their way down to the so called, bowels of the bathhouse.

* * *

Okami sat quietly on his bed thinking of what to do next. This was technically gonna be thier home for the next month. But they had to prepare for something greater, but he didn't know what the next step to take was supposed to be. Both of his hands ruffled back and forth through his hair as he tryed to think and concentrate. They already found Chihiro, she agreeded that she would help them, she agreeded to regain her memories, and Mizutohi went of to get the Winds of Memories. He guessed there was nothing to do except wait.

Chihiro did need someone to teach her how to control some of her powers. Someone serious enough, that didn't goof around, and wasn't sarcastic 99.9% of the time. Kokatsuna was definetly out of the question even though he was very strong when he needed to be. Hana could be an option, but he didn't know if Chihiro remembered anytihng fromt he past that wouldn't make her hate Hana. Chirashi was wise and was able to concentrate. She could teach Chihiro, but Okami thought that Chihiro and her might just get into a 'girl' conversation.

Chihiro had only been here about four days, or maybe five. She needed to start learning how to control her powers as soon as possible, he thought. Okami stood up and decided who was going to be her teacher or instructor. Okami swiftly rose from the bed and onto the hard cedar wood floor. He walked towards his bedroom door and cracked it open. Nobody seemed to be roaming the halls. He carefully stepped out as his blond hair brushed against the door panel. His feet carried him to the remaining rooms and he stood inbetween all three of them and closed his eyes.

'_Guys come on out of the rooms!' _

Okami began to open his eyes and heard a smashing sound from Kokatsuna's room. Hana's room contained a groan and Chirashi's room was silent. Okami smiled a bit and leaned against the wall. He didn't feel any pity for waking them up during the late morning because they arrived so late to the inn. Kokatsuna's door flung open and smashed against the wall. He was holding his head and bags were forming unders his eyes. Those brown eyes stared at Okami with pure hatred and all Okami did was smile. Kokatsuna stood with his back hungover and his clothes dangling loosely from his dreaded skin.

"What the hell do you want?" He yelled in a whisper, knowing that other spirits were sleeping. Okami smirked and looked at his fellow pal.

"News, information, stuff... You know, the 'old' buiness." Okami sputtered out with a straight face trying to hold back a laugh.

"Couldn't this wait till later when all of us have actually have gotten some sleep? Instead of you waking us all up when you sit up in your dang room rocking on your bed with nothing better to do." Kokatsuna moved into the hall and slid down against the wall onto the floor groaning. Chirashi slowly walked out of her room with no sudden complaint. She stood there eyeing Okami with watchful eyes. She nodded towards him and they all awaited the arrival of queen Hana.

Hana didn't bother to open her door. Instead roots crept out from under the door and grew along it. Flowers appeared and so did various leaves. The roots sank into the wood and a silouhette started to form. A human shape took place as soon as the roots tightened themselves together. The shape slowly moved away from the door and raised its hands. The roots started to hiss and glow slightly. They retreated to the risen hands. They crawled up like leeches upon a persons body. They stuck tightly to the spirit revealing what looked like flesh as it became less visible.

There stood queen Hana with her grand entry of roots and flowers. She stood in a green dress, like always, and crossed her arms neatly upon her broad chest. Everyone rolled their eyes at Hana for she had nothing better to do.

"Wouldn't it have been easier to open the door?" Chirashi asked annoyed.

"No, for we must practice our powers when needed and when the most unexpected times are called for." Hana smiled towards Chirashi bareing her teeth which seemed to be sharper then usual.

"Oh shut up! You just do it took show off for them." Chirashi signaled in the direction of Kokatsuna and Okami. Okami eyed Chirashi and was about to tell them to stop, but apprently it wasn't easy for a male to barge into a female conversation.

"I do not!" Hana said insulted. "At least I don't eye a certain spirit all the time."

"I do not eye him all the time. I only eye him...Wait I don't even think of it that way."

Chirashi walked over to Hana and looked her in the face. Both of them glared at each other. Chirashi smacked Hana across the face forcing her face to flip sideways. Hana quickly looked back at Chirashi with wide eyes.

"How dare you!" Hana smacked Chirashi back except two times harder and a second after she was hit a soft red spot appeared. Chirashi looked at Hana with a surprised expression that wasn't expecting that smack back. Hana smiled and tilted her head slowly.

"You ok honeybunch?" Hana spit right in Chirashi's face.

Okami and Kokatsuna looked at the two then at each other. Kokatsuna brown hair covered her face, but he shook his head back and forth.

'_No way am I seperating them. It's your job to do that."_

Hana and Chirashi began a traditional fist fight as Okami got ready for the most diffcult challenge life had to offer; seperate two girls. But for Okami this was going to be easy. He put his hand forth and it glowed a dark, yet soft, purple. The girls punches grew slower and slower and their faces grew confused facial expressions. Time was being controlled by Okami and it was at his will. The girls faces turned slowly towards him and looked at him with the stupidest of facial expressions.

Okami stood in a slow dimmension of controlled time. He walked over to the girls and grabbed one of them by the waist and hoisted them into the air. The girls could still move, but of course they were extremely slow. Chirashi's legs slowly waved back and forth in this time laspe, but Okami didn't seem to mind. He carried her quickly to the other side of the room, placing her on the floor with a loud thump.

"Letttttttt.." Chirashi started saying about five seconds before.

"A little to late Chirashi." He smiled weakly towards her and backed away. Who would want to be near a fiesty girl?

Hana slowly trailed herself towards Chirashi, but of course that was no good. Okami snapped his fingers releasing the time laspe from the room and the girl screamed for a few more seconds. They realized how far away from each other they were and looked away. They pouted and whispered under their breath comments of one another.

"Are you guys done yet? Seriously? How childish can you two get. But lets forget about that and get to what I wanted to say. I wanted to tell you all that I'm going to be Chihiro's teacher for the time being and..."

"Are you serious?" They all screamed at Okami. "We woke up for this?"

Everyone stood up and glared at him, annoyed. They all went back to their rooms and slammed the doors shut. He shrugged his shoulders and spoke to himself.

"I guess that means ok." He chuckled and stood there in the hall with no one except himself.

* * *

The emerald eyed Haku strode through the forest towards the inn that the other were staying at. The trees along the path seemed to cast deathly shadows upon the ground before him. The sun seemed to give the shadows life as they danced before him through the shreaded areas in the trees. He didn't feel like flying at the moment for some reason and he couldn't. He tried to change into his true form, but it just didn't happened. It was like a brick wall in the middle of a highway. When he tried changing, he started to glow and his skin grew soft, but an interuption of something unknown stopped the transformation in its tracks. It seemed to prick at his soul tweaking the transformation in reverse and he would suddenly go back to his human form.

His stride turned into a sprint as soon as he hit the open water. His feet glided above the waters surface as easily as he would run on the pain ground. This was his territory now and his domain. His body yearned to run on water for it felt releaxing and he felt so free doing it. The water gradually parted before him as he ran. It parted like a minature scene with Moses and the Red Sea. Haku's feet sprayed water everytime they lifted of the surface send spouts of water into the rising air. The sun glinted off th tears of the ocean as they fell back to their home.

In a matter of five minutes he crossed the ocean over to another path. This path would lead directly to the inn. The path winded through a narrow of trees and shrubs. As he neared the inn a sound of some sort was heard from his left. He stopped for a moment and wondered what it was. It sounded like a squeal and a slushing sound of saliva. It was pretty disgusting to hear actually, but he wondered over to the shrubs and pushed them aside. There lay two young spirits entangled in a intimate embrace. They jerked up and looked at Haku with astounded eyes. Their faces reddened quickly and they shriveled together for comfort.

"Ummmm sorry about that. I thought you two were something else." Haku vigurously closed the shrubs and left the two spirits to themsleves. Why the heck would he even bother to investigate that? That was another thing added to the list of 'Weird and Unexpected Things Haku Saw Today'.

He only walked for about another minute before he was standing in front of a inn. He ran straight to the door barging in. The fairy at the desk rose up with a sudden fright.

"Sir, can I help?" She asked concernly. "Is something the matter?"

"I just need to speak with someone named Okami. Does he happen to be here at the moment?" Haku stuttered quickly.

"Um if your talking about the werid blond haired spirit then yeah he is in room 114." She said rolling her eyes as she slipped back into her chair.

"Thanks," Haku said as his voice trailed off down the hall. Room numbers passed before him and he watched for Room 114. He passed 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, and finally, 114. The door was slightly slanted and sunlight peeked in from under the door. He breathed in and out slowly prepared to knock on the door. His hand raised slighty above his brow and it came down about to touch the door. The door swung open before his hand even touched the wooden door.

"Haku whats the problem?" Okami leaned against the door frame.

"We have a problem..." Haku muttured this under his breath.

"I know you have a problem. But apprently I need to know what that problem is." Okami gripped Haku's shoulder tigtly and gave him a look of simpathy.

"If a girl denied you Haku you can tell me. I can cure all your girl troubles." Haku grabbed Okami's hand a rotated it quickly towards the floor. Okami's body followed his hand as it thumped against the wooden tiles.

"What the heck was that for?"

"We have an urgent problem. Kaze almost has Chihiro's internal fire. If he gets it you know what happens." Okami stared at Haku from the floor. Haku's green hair shaded his eyes perfectly. He looked like a faceless phantom.

"Wait what? Kaze has Chihiro? He is taking her internal fire? When the hell did this happen?" Okami screamed at Haku as he jumped up from the floor.

"Tell the others. We need to make up a plan to interfere another dimension. Kaze has Chihiro trapped somewhere in there and we need to get to her quickly." Haku didn't waste anytime answering Okami's childish questions.

"At least answer one question of mine Haku. How did she get captured?" Okami pleaded to Haku.

"I'm truly not sure Okami. All I know is we have to get to her before he gets into her."


	26. Chapter 27 Is Losing Worth Gaining?

Softly her chest rose and fell. Her eyes opened slightly looking around the grimly lit room. She tried to move her limbs, but they were still held tightly to the bed by the threads. A sharp pain ran through her as she tried to raise her chest over the bed. Chihiro fell back onto the bed moaning. She remembered Kaze trying to get her internal fire before, and when he entered her. She swerved her head around the room looking for any sign of him.

The room was completely empty except for the pieces of furniture. Two candles in corners of the room lit the room strangely. Chihiro's eyes adjusted and she then saw a black silhouette lying on the floor in a dark part of the room. Its body slowly rose and fell. Hair fell in front of it's face, the hair was blond.

Chihiro stared blankly at it. Hair of her own fell over her shoulders as she suddenly was able to sit up. She looked down at her arms and saw they were no longer attached to the uncomfortable bed. She waved them around to make sure they were her own, and nothing was missing from her body. _Wait_, she remembered, she had no body no more. She had a body, but she was now a spirit, a spirit held to the ties of this world for now.

* * *

All five of them sat outside on dead tree trunks behind the inn. They exchanged glances and tried to figure out what exactly they were going to do about Chihiro.

"How the heck are we supposed to just bust into a different dimension?" Hana exploded.

"Yea, seriously. It's utterly impossible Haku!" Kokatsuna was not happy about this idea one bit. Haku rolled his eyes as Kkatsuna ran his mouth off about how "impossible" this was going to be. He patiently waited till the raved spirit calmed himself.

"Kokatsuna, it's not actually another dimension. It's a dream created by Kaze, which he has Chihiro encased in." Haku simply tried to get them to understand. He didn't need them acting out of control or anything. His hair fell gently in his face as he tried waited patiently for someone to answer him. Finally some mature enough spoke up, Chirashi.

"Will you all please stop nagging and shouting it's childish. We are the Lost Ones, not little children arguing at the playground! Just listen to Haku!" Everyone completely became silent and looked at Chirashi with wide eyes. Haku smiled at this and wondered how they survive without Chirashi. At least she on one of the more "mature" members of the group. Without her somehow this godly formed group would clasped in on itself.

"Thank you Chirashi for quieting these childish spirits." Haku spoke.

"We aren't childish!" Kokatsuna and Hana screamed. Haku chuckled slightly at his comment and his green hair fell slightly in his face again. His eyes twinkled and Kokatsuna and Hana eyed him slowly.

"What's so funny Mr. Nushi?" Hana asked with a wistful tone.

"Nothing you little beast, and now back onto the topic we were originally discussing, please." Haku turned towards everyone again. "Ok we know obviously that Kaze has Chihiro because of what I saw."

"Yes, of what you saw. We didn't see anything at all..." Okami stated clearly.

"Would you like to see it?" Haku turned towards Okami with wise eyes.

"Please because I really need to know exactly what occured, or else I truly have no idea on how we're supposed to get to her."

Haku swiftly moved to Okami and placed himself next to him. A hand moved straight to his forehead, feeling the skin of the young spirit. Haku's eyes rounded themselves and closed. His concentration was set on sending his memory of Chihiro to Okami's mind. He remembered the last time he did this to someone, eight years ago. Clearly he remembered when he helped Chihiro find he was to Kamiji's boiler room. She was so small and helpless back then. The way she clung to him for help, and her eyes were so pleading. Who knew that his feelings for that small girl four years ago would grow into something more.

His hand glowed softly and Okami felt a warmth form on his head. It was a warmth that didn't hurt, but one that was welcoming to himself.

* * *

They entered a dark, cobwebbed stair way. It looked like it hadn't been used in ages. Cobwebs hung themselves neatly along the brick walls. Dust slowly rose into think clouds as Mizutohi and Yubaba clattered along on the damp floor. A smell of something unknown lingered in these depths. It tingled within Mizutohi's nostrils, and it reminded her of home. For some reason this smell reminded her of home, but she didn't have a clue why it did. Their footsteps echoed in these depths below the earth. The Winds of Memories was not far ahead, but it was hard to get to.

Yubaba swiftly turned down crooked halls as if she lived down in these depths. Her hair slowly started to fall form its neatly placed bun; it fell in clumps from atop her head. Mizutohi followed Yubaba's footsteps as they left imprints in the floor beneath them.

"How much longer Yubaba?" Mizutohi said with longing patience.

"Not much longer young one. Please bare with me. These stairways, and hallways tire me easily due to my growing age...Look at me calling myself old. What has gotten into me these days?"

The old witch sighed, unusual of her regular emotions. She trudged down a long hallyway, and turned left sharply to another pair of step stairs going down. The old witch turned to face Mizutohi. Mizutohi skidded to a stop right in front of the old witch almost touching her pointed nose. Mizutohi straightened her back, and arched, trying not to come in contact with Yubaba's nose. She could feel the warm air billowing out of her nose as it slowly crept along her skin, and set her hairs on end.

"Young one the Winds of Memories is down this stairwell. I advise you when you reach the base of the stairs don't look at it closely." Mizutohi stared at Yubaba curiously.

"I don't mean to question you, but why may I ask, can't I look at it? It can't be that dangerous can it?"

"Young Spirit this is the Winds of Memories. It has the power to relieve someones memories, as well as take them away. If you look into the eye of the Winds of Memories it will sneak your memories from right under your nose. It will wisp them up into itself enclosing them forever from your reach."

Yubaba enforced the information sternly. The old hag pressed herslef closer to Mizutohi.

"It will steal them, and erase them from your memories. Forever to be gone in the Winds of the Lost." Mizutohi took a step back, and solemly nodded.

"But the Winds of the Lost is where..." Before Mizutohi could stop the witch was snaking down the stairs.

* * *

_"Thats not a nice thing to say to your ex boyfirend is it" _

_"What?"_

_"Chihiro!"_

Haku removed his had from Okami's forehead, and sat back.

"She wasn't taken, but her spirit was trapped on her way back to the Spirit World." Okami looked at Haku trying to gather the information he was just given.

"You mean Kaze disturbed her spirits state and created a Dream World bascially?"

"Yes, and no. I really don't know what he created, but it's his world. At the same time though it's not a dream." Haku sighed and looked up at the sky. He knew he needed to get to her quickly. He wondered if she was ok. He hated that he was in a position where he could do nothing to protect her. He still couldn't understand why he was attracted to a meer human, of course now they all new she wasn't just a human. She was a spirit if strong will and power, but she still had yet to learn what she contanied.

'_If only I could help her and...'_

"Haku, you ok?" Hana was leaning forward staring at him.

"Yea...I'm just fine" He replied quickly changing his facial expression back to the emotionless state

* * *

**Heys guys! Long time no see! I'm sorry again that I haven't updated in over a month :( I promise I'm getting back in the swing now of updating this story and my other stories as well. If only Haku could help Chihiro...Hmmmm anyone else wondering what happened to Kaze? What caused him to pass out in the middle of the floor? Well...You will never know! Just kidding...Also noticed I mentioned Winds of the Lost while Yubaba was speaking? Anyone actually thinking about what the Winds of the Lost actually is? I know...I'm boring you with question, boring questions of mine. I should be writing chapter 27. SHAME ON ME! Well ttyl everyone and I'm spiriting away ;) P.S There a review button below and I know your dying to press it :P Lol I know your tihnking you're toooo lazy to leave a review, but I know ya wana ;) Thebuttons right down there, and its begging you to click it! lol**


	27. Chapter 28 Longing

At the base of the stairs everything looked dark. Nothing glimmered or reflected off the walls showing any sign of anything within these depths. Yubaba ran her hand along the wall full a grime, and cobwebs. Mizutohi tried to see through the pitch blackness that enveloped this cavern below the bathhouse. Her senses were perked, but her eyesight failed her.

"Is the Winds of Memories not within here Yubaba?" Yubaba just stirred next to Mizutohi trying to concentrate on what was before her. Yubaba raised a hand silently and it lite up in flames. The flames danced along the walls as fair maidens have at masquerades. They showed a gigantic room before them, which stood towering above them outside the doorway they stood in. Mizutohi eyes looked around the room amazed at a cavern of this stature laid underneath the bathhouse. She saw no sign of any objects though in the surrounding area.

"Child the Winds of Memories lies before us, but as I advised you before do not look if you do not wish to lose your memories. This powerful graced object will slither them out of your mind in an instant."

Mizutohi looked around in confusion. She saw nothing in void before them.

"There is nothing here, but you tell me to look away. How can I look away if there is nothing for me to look at?"

"Because some of the strongest things in this world can only be seen with any upholding eye. Now look away, and this shall be my last warning. Look at your own will."

The flames contained in her hands soon died down to nothing except a shear dwindling candlelight. Her hand moved itself along the dampened wall, cruising inch by inch. Mizutohi's eyes crept to stay on the wrinkled limb, but forced themselves away. The small candlelight touched a small torch holder on the way. Flames exploded into the holder and soon spread along the wall to another. As if a domino effect flames roused up along the walls filling the room with brightness. They swirled around the room lighting torches in a formation up the rooms walls. Yubaba removed her hand as the fire sunk back within its domain.

"The graced have held this within their hands for years; passed down from generation to generation. I am a holder of this sacred object, the Winds of Memories. As it lies within these depths kept from the eye of any spirit I ask that it show itself now. That its use may be graced upon a spirit in need of its power to regain her former memories. I, Yubaba, daughter of Makuto, ask that the Wind of Memories may be used in this young spirits aid."

The room suddenly fell quiet and the torches stood still. It suddenly seemed to emit an aura, and the right side of the room shifted from the left. Dust rose into the air creating a cloud of ancient surroundings. The right side of the floor shifted well to the other side of the room revealing a bottomless pit before Yubaba. Yubaba stared at the pit waiting for the other side to move. The left side followed the rights path, and revealed a never ending hole. This open holed room seemed to contain nothing, but suddenly a crashing sound was heard. A few moments later a light spiraled up from the pit and lite up the room in a show of lights.

Mizutohi, as she faced the opposite way, could hear and tell what was happening. Even though she was a spirit her body still she had the urge to turn around. Mizutohi wouldn't let this urge take over her for she was not human. Humans gave into their emotions so easily, or at least that's what she thought. Humans were so weak and frivolous. They were a demeanor to their world, and the Spirit World. Mizutohi respected humans to a certain extent, as some spirits did, but most hated humans for their rational ways. Destroying nature as if it weren't important. Some not knowing the things they were killing were apart of a spirit themselves. A spirits connection to to what their tied to wasn't just an emotional or physical bond. It was one that was held together by the ties of the universe. The Winds of Memories held the answers to these ties, and explanations about them as well. For this holy object, or formidable entity held the memories of everything that happened in the universe itself. The creation of life, the death of people, wars; both spiritual and human, and to the tiniest atom splitting. But of course Mizutohi wasn't aloud to lay eyes upon it.

'_Darn this object...It's not even visible and I cannot look at it from afar? This is absurd. I'm here to collect this for a fellow friend in need, and how am I supposed to know how to use it if I have no idea what it looks like.'_

_As if reading Mizutohi's mind Yubaba spoke. _

_"_Child you need not to see everything to understand its true meaning. Some things are best understood with little comprehension." Said Yubaba as she stood facing the brightly lite cavern. The light seemed to die down revealing a small blue emitting object hovering in the middle of it. Its shape seemed disfigured, with sharp turns and angles, but the best it can be described is it is a rock with jagged edges. It floated with graceful movements as everything died down except for itself.

"Winds of Memories I ask of your help, for a young spirit is lost without recollection of her past...Will you help this young spirit?" Mizutohi listened as Yubaba spoke. She wondered why she was talking to an object that had no conscience , and had no voice to answer. But a mysterious voiced echoed in both of their heads.

'_Is this Yubaba, daughter of Makuto, asking for my assistance in regaining a young spirits memory?' _The voice was soothing, yet it had a sense of power and strength to it.

"Yes great one...It is me Yubaba. The young spirits named is truly Rapisu, but the name she bared as a human was Chihiro."

'_Yes I have heard of this young spirit who once a human, then a spirit before. She made an impact on this bathhouse five years ago. Freeing a dragon who name was lost, or which you stole from him. This dragon was Kohaku; Spirit of the Kohaku River. This young spirit needs her memories in order to defeat an evil arising? Is that why you are here?...Is that spirit standing behind you one of the Lost Ones? That sacred lost group to protect the Spirit World..created by the Gods themselves. The Gods of the elements, but even a greater power stands above them. The spirits that are the creators of the universe, but we are now drifting away from the topic Young spirit I know you can hear me. What is your name?'_

Mizutohi still facing the opposite direction, clearly heard the spirits voice. She remained still for a few moments then started to speak aloud.

"Ummmm my name is Mizutohi, one of the Lost Ones. I control water and fire, and I hold a spirit of a dragon...Great one I thought you had no voice to voice yourself. I thought you were an object that only held power to do spirits biding. If you sensed these thoughts I am sorry for disrespecting you." A chuckle seemed to ring out as Mizutohi finished speaking.

'_Young one there is no need to apologize for the thoughts of your mind. You have never heard truly heard of me, or known of my capabilities. I am meant to be hidden and unknown to certain minds. Because if spirits with the wrong intentions found out about this place they would snatch me up and use me unwillingly. I do have the power to reject those who wish to use me, but to a certain extent. I am not as powerful as one may think, even though I hold the will to erase life memories in an instant. Please child turn and look at me. I have no reason to take away your memories. Lay your eyes upon me and look as you may.'_

Mizutohi slowly turned and saw a lightly blue emitting object hovering in the middle of the bottomless cavern. The object had no true form, or at least at this moment. She expected to lose her memories right at this moment and pass out into a blank state. Instead a calmness came over her, and she looked curiously at the inanimate object who spoke through the mind.

'_See I am not that interesting am I? Just a big blue blob with the powers of memories.'_

_"_I am sorry to interrupt the little fun conversation we have here, but we need your assistance right away. If Chihiro doesn't restore her memories quick she won't have an knowledge on how to control her powers." Yubaba was starting to lose precious patience.

'_I understand you are starting to get annoyed, and yes I will assist you. For I trust my powers in your hands. I shall bare my powers unto Mizutohi though because she is the one who is apart of the Lost Ones.'_

Yubaba slowly nods. She'd rather not argue with the object/spirit who was going to help them.

"What do you mean exactly by you trusting your powers in my hands? It is literal, or just a saying?" Mizutohi misunderstood the spirit.

'_Child I will be absorbed in you. You will contain me and my powers within you to bestow the lost memories upon Chihiro. I will be one with you for the time being...'_

Mizutohi's facial expression suddenly changed. A worried look crossed the spirits face. The Winds of Memories would be absorbed into her. That meant that this object could sense every thought, and feeling that ruptured through her body. The Winds of Memories seemed to sense Mizutohi's concern and reassured her.

'_I will not be able to read your thoughts unless you want me to see them. Pretend I'm just a mere part of you. I shall be unaffective to your daily routine and life.'_

Before Mizutohi replied she could sense a power going into her.

'_It won't hurt you child'_

* * *

Haku stood with the others in the late hours of the morning. Hana yawned for she only got three hours of sleep from the long conversation they had the night before. Chirashi stood as if she got all the sleep in the world. As for Kokatsuna, the brown haired spirit stood talking to him self and rubbing his eyes. Okami was just standing there with his waving deep brown hair and purple eyes staring admist.

Haku's green hair blew in the wind as it traveled through the lands of the Spirit World. He stared into the sky wondering what had become of his life. In just two weeks Chihiro showed up, Kaze had turned on them, Chihiro had disappeared, and all the Lost Ones were back together, except in an unusual setting. Things were getting thrown at them like never before.

The last war was the "Great War". All of them fought in it. Every single one of them risked their lives to keep the Spirit World and the Human World in balance. Only one spirit died those two thousand years ago that mattered; Chihiro. Haku was being controlled that day by one of the Great Demon lords. They fought against them and Haku risked everything to keep their worlds safe. But when that demon took over him he lost all control. Chihiro died at his hand, and he didn't realize it till the demon left him because Haku fought against the demon within himself. He destroyed, or removed the Great Demon Lord power from himself, but realized he was to late. Before Haku laid the body of Rapisu, or Chihiro, unmoving and soaked with water. As Haku was lost in his thought the other anxiously stared at him confused.

"Haku. You keep spacing out. You're scaring all of us. Haku tell us what's on your mind." Hana looked at him concernly. She understood anyone could space out, but Haku. No that was impossible for Haku to space out. He was the kind of spirit that was always alert, and this wasn't like him.

"I'm fine." He is said in a monotone voice.

"We know something is wrong. Is it because of the situation we're in?" Okami appeared next to him.

"I said I'm fine! We just need to get Chihiro back quick before Kaze gains that power from Chihiro and the Four Winds to start merging the two worlds together." Haku tried to make it sound as if he was only worried about saving the worlds and not caring for Chihiro. He didn't want to become soft at a moment like this. Okami stared at him then stepped back. He could sense that Haku was lying, but he didn't mention anything. Haku turned from the others and walked off to a group of trees to think.

'_I need to find Chihiro as quick as possible. Please let her be alright...' _

Hana watched Haku drift away from the four of them. She just shook her head and smirked.

"He's still in love with that girl." She mumbled.

"What Hana? Did you say something?" Kokatsuna asked. Hana's head shot towards him and she looked around innocently.

"What? Me? No of course I didn't say anything."

"Oh, ok then." Kokatsuna turned back to Chirashi and Okami.

"Well we are leaving soon to enter that other dimmension. I just hope Haku doesn't remain like this. Ever since last night he's been completely blank and unresponsive." Okami sighed and the others nodded.

"Well we have to get there fast because the longer we wait the more the two worlds are in danger. Like someone said, time waits for no one."

Hana, Kokatsuna, and Okami looked at Chirashi oddly.

"You never run out of information do you?" Okami smiled.

"That's right."

* * *

Chihiro eyes adjusted as best they could to the room around her. Her arms were free, but a pain ravaged through her chest. It ached like a heavy wait was pressing down on her. They blond haired figure still remained motioness on the ground.

'_I need to get out of this place...What even happened? I know Kaze was trying to get my internal fire, but I don't remember anything after that. Did Kaze fail at getting my internal fire?'_

She sighed and tried to free her feet from the binding that held them to the bed. The strapes were fastened perfectly and wouldn't let Chihiro budge a bit. She tried once more to summon a power to free herself. She stared at her feet and concentrated trying to break the binding somehow. Chihiro knew of some power called Telekinisis from some book she was reading for school. It was said you could control things with the power of your mind. Her eyes bulged and continued to stare at the bindings, but they remained still and intact.

"Please tell me someone is going to come for me." She whispered. She knew she said for no one to come after her, but she needed help right now desperately.

'_Haku...I need your help...Please'_

* * *

As Haku leaned against a small petite sized tree a thought came into his mind. Rather a voice that continued to echo through his head.

'_Haku...I need your help...Please'_

His head rose a bit, and his eyes widened.

"Chihiro. I promise I'm coming for you. Someway, or somehow I'll find a way to reach you no matter what." He said as the voice seemed to moan on and on in his head, but it hurt him; it teared at his weeping heart.

* * *

**Hey everyone out there! Finally got an update up as promised. Well please...I beg you please leave me a review to let me know how I'm doing ;). I want to thank everyone, again, that has reviewed so far. I'm going to try to update this sunday or in other words...CHRISTMAS! Well I hope everyone enjoys their week and Savvyzzz signing out :P**


	28. Chapter 29 The Soul: Bound and Connected

**I just wanted to say sorry for 1 or 2 month wait. I have been busy with basketball, ninjutsu, school, and plently of other things. As usual all teenagers are busy, so probably a lot of you guys can relate to that, but here's the next Chapter. I hope everything is making sense and it is flowing good. I'm trying to speed it up now, and get to the goal of the story. Of course I still have a long way to go though. I want to thank everyone who has been reading and please leave a review. I want to know how I'm doing; I don't care if the reviews are harsh or good I just want feedback .Well thank you everyone and I hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

The lighting in the room seemed to dim as the candles faded. Chihiro lay there staring at the ceiling not knowing whether or not to just scream or, just tear at herself because of frustration. No matter how hard she tried those stupid shackles on her legs wouldn't budge. She still didn't understand how she was able to free her hands, but she guessed that was one miracle the gods gave her. Chihiro turned her head to look at he slim figure on the ground, but when she saw nothing something disturbed her. That figure was there not a few moments ago, and now it was gone.

"You damn idiot. You nearly killed me." A limp body hobbled over to the side of the bed. Chihiro tried to inch away as far as possible. Her face filled with horror, and her body tensed with a sense of nausea. There was nowhere for her to go she just laid there trying to stay as far away as possible from the dismantled person. The figure trailed across the floor with a sidetracked step, and was soon at the foot of the bed glaring at her. His face showed no emotion except anger, and Chihiro could sense the anger billowing in the air. The room fell dead silent as they both made eye contact; one of fear and the other of revenge.

"You...You little demon. You worthless peace of garbage. You knocked me out! I don't know what you did, but that is going to get you killed by me. I told you not to mess with me, and you still persist to fight against me. What I don't understand is how you used your powers. I made this Dream State unable to handle the power of no other spirits except me."

Chihiro just laid there silent and unmoving. She didn't want to upset Kaze anymore then she already had. Sweat started to form and slowly slide down her face like rain against a window. Her chest rose and sank with an uneven rhythm.

Kaze just stared at her trying to comprehend how he had failed to steal the internal fire. Stealing her internal fire would be nearly stealing her heart. Chihiro would be able to live without it, but her body would slowly collapse on itself; she would lose all her powers one by one and weaken. Everything around the room became very frivolous to Kaze and his thinking. Nothing mattered except the heavily breathing girl who was scared half to death on the bed in front of him.

"No need to be so scared. It's not like I'm murdering you my love." Kaze smirked as his anger slightly faded due to the fact that he still had some love left in his heart for this girl. The girl sneered at Kaze at the tone of his voice.

"I'm not your love as I must state again. I never have been and I never will be." She glared at him as she said this. The words slipped off her tongue and the candles seemed to flicker. Kaze made eye contact with the girl for a split moment then keeled over on himself laughing. His laughter bombarded the room with a ridiculous sound. Chihiro looked as him confused and his facial expression softened.

"Did I say something funny?" Kaze, still laughing, made eye contact once more and sneered.

"It's just that you think you'll never be mine. You're mine now as you can clearly see. Lovely girl I won't harm you if you can work with me. Hand over your internal fire and I'll let you free. All I need is that power and it's the key to open the treasure I want."

Chihiro's eyes laid on the ceiling instead of Kaze's face. She leaned against the bedpost smirking with her hands behind her head.

"That treasure is one thing you'll nev-"

"Why are you so persistent?" A voice echoed the room as the girl looked at the blond haired spirit from the corner of her eye.

This girl in front of Kaze seemed to have such a strong sense of valor, but he just couldn't understand why. It confused him to the point where he was wondering if this girl was possessed or something. He sat on the bed beside her as she slid away from him sitting up. Strands of hair fell covering those chestnut eyes that held a flame of strength.

"What do you mean?"

"You continuously decided to contradict everything I say. You deny and fight me. I would imagine someone would just give in by now. You're proving to be a handful. You used to be so easy going those years ago."

"I..." Chihiro couldn't find anything to say. It scared her that Kaze talked about the past as if she remembered. The memories from the past came to her once in a blue moon. Everything he said didn't make sense at all. Instead of reflecting any idea off Kaze's comment one question still lingered in the thoughts of this girl.

"Before anything goes any farther, I just want to ask one thing. Yesterday when you captured me, and I was stuck here you said something that confused me. You said 'The souls of man hold something greater then any spirit can imagine, and they lose it right when they die then it goes to waste; back into the freakin earth where it started off at.' What does that mean? What do humans have that spirits need or don't contain? I thought spirits were supposed to be more powerful then humans. I always hear spirit making comments saying that humans are destructive and worthless. What can we possibly have that you need?"

Kaze stared at her with a blank expression. He was hoping a question like this wasn't going to come up at all while she was remaining here. He didn't know if he should tell her, and Chihiro could use that against him or not. A sigh escaped from his curled lips.

"All things have spirits, yes? But humans are the only living thing to have a soul encased within them. The flesh you humans have upon you protect you. You are aloud to sin as we are, except our sins come with a price. Our sins can cause us immediate death if the Gods decide it. Your sins cause you to die as well in the end because your body can take only so much sin, but that soul within you is pure and purified. It is purified more then any of us spirits can ever achieve. After you die though that purity is always almost lost because most humans become shadow spirits, doomed to damnation for eternity. There are usually no exceptions except when a spirit mates with a human creating a hybrid, or cross between the two."

Chihiro looked at Kaze with a yearning look. She understood everything he said, but she didn't know humans were so connected to the Spirit World as they were. The girl opened her mouth to speak, but Kaze got there first.

"That soul you have Chihiro is special. It still holds that free will and purity because you never truly died. If you wanted to you could return to your normal human state, no matter if the loss of your human body has occurred. But every human has that type of soul which is spiritually connected yet damned at the same time. That power we spirits crave is the gift of purity and free will. That is one thing we will never get in the eternity we live; that free will to sin and enjoy ourselves without care. Each of us our bound to an element or some sort linked object. Without it and our purpose we slowly fade and die. Humans can live without having to worry, and live a leisurely life. It's wasted though with the short time they live. That's why I want to combine both worlds so that free will can be in the spirits grasp once more where it originated from in the first place."

Chihiro just solemnly looked at him and spoke.

"Everything changes for a reason Kaze. Maybe this was one thing the Gods thought humans were worthy of having."

* * *

Haku ushered the others to get moving. Chihiro's cry died down in his mind over the passing time, but the others had devised a plan to get through. Since each of the spirits controlled an element of some sort, one of them was bound to have a power that could help them get to the girl. Okami was the one who was going to do this job he controlled time, but also had a sense of controlling space as well. They could use his power to contradict Kaze's power and tear into the Dream State Chihiro was bound to.

A strong breeze blew around the area each of them were in. Okami stood alone in a clearing while the others watched from afar. None of them wanted to be near due to the risk of a mistake, or something gone wrong. His eyes remained closed as his spirit stretched to the outer limits of its power, connecting with the fabrics of time trying to trace a path to Chihiro. His hands curled into fists as they glowed a sullen purple and black. Time around the five of them distorted and everything started shifting very abnormally.

Haku watched quietly and a slight feeling of hope flickered within him. After just a day of Chihiro being gone he was starting to go a little paranoid. He paced back and forth while Okami stood in the middle of the clearing. The others watched him with confusion. They understood that they had to save the girl, but Haku was all jittery. His paces increased and a slight breeze swept through the clearing and everyone stared at Haku. He just kept his head down and ignored their glaring stares.

Outside he showed no expression or agony while on the inside he was slowly tearing at himself. That urge just to keep the girl safe was strong and growing. If only he accompanied her when she visited her parents. At least he could've been there in spirit just to protect her, but of course he didn't. It was all his fault, he thought. Chihiro was able to take care of herself, he knew that, it was just that feeling that kept ravaging at him.

"Let her be okay." He mumbles to himself. Haku knew he was growing weak because of this girl. Love was what was making him weak. She had said she loved him once, but he highly doubt she had meant it. He wondered if she really thought of him in that way, or if they just had a tight friendship.

As Haku was stuck in his trance time stopped and slowly a rip started to form; only one Okami could see though. A light fragmented itself around the rip and Okami's hands fell to his side as the others looked at him confused.

"I found Chihiro's trail and opened up a rip to her. Let's get going before any more time gets wasted."

"Where's this so called "rip"? There's nothing here except-" Hana got stopped in mid sentence by a sharp voice. Haku looked at Chirashi, Kokatsuna, Okami, and Hana with no expression.

"Just follow Okami's instructions. Like he said no more time can be wasted."

Okami ushered the others to follow him and one by one they disappeared into the invisible rip. Haku was the only one left standing as he sighed. He ran a hand through his hair and stepped forward towards the blank entrance. They were finally getting somewhere now, but that urge was stronger then ever in him. He needed to see if she was okay. He placed a foot forward then the other followed and his body slowly dissipated into the rip.

"I'm coming Chihiro, just hang in there."

* * *

Mizutohi stood there with an strange sensation coursing through her. This power flowed through her as if it were her own. Except this power belonged to a great holder that was inside her.

"Mizutohi are you okay?" Yubaba asked confusingly.

The young blue haired spirit stood there and slowly nodded. A voice echoed through her empty mind. It asked many questions concerning this spirits memories and troubles. Mizutohi supplied the necessary information to the power within her. Mizutohi knew little information about Chihiro as it was and it was difficult to answer questions about her human life.

'_Did the girl just appear here?'_

_'_No she was left in the middle of a field by a Realm God. She's not a human girl as you know. The girl is a spirit.' Mizutohi's thoughts just floated in her mind as the Winds of Memories collected them.

'_This girl is special as it seems. But she is not a spirit. She is human, yet contains spirit attributes.'_

_'_What is that supposed to mean?'

_'Her soul is still attached to the human world, yet it is a spirit at the same time. Her soul still holds that purity and free will. She's not dead nor alive.'_


	29. Chapter 30 How Far Does Love Stretch?

All the thoughts of Mizutohi were preoccupied by the spirit within her. They had been conversing with each other, inside one another's head, for hours now. Sitting in Yubaba's office the two had a silent conversation, while Yubaba took care of her precious child. Boh squirmed inside his playroom getting anxious because he wanted to know where Sen was. Crashes came from the playroom, but Mizutohi easily blocked them out as her silent, yet interesting, conversation continued.

'_So this girl was once a spirit, then human, then is now a spirit again? The Gods must surely think high of this young girl if they wish to preserve her this long. Any other spirit they would've let die and rot, but they managed to keep her alive. Although a young female spirit able to control all the elements is worth keeping alive. So at the moment she is safe and awaiting the return of her memories I suppose?'_

The Winds of Memories words flowed through Mizutohi's mind with a graceful ease. No hesitation came with the words she spoke, slowly learning information she didn't know.

'Yes the girl is at the witch's house, or known as Zeniba. She has been there for a few days now slowly awaiting for me to come back. In order to move on into what we need to do, we need to get back to Zeniba's house as fast as possible.'

Mizutohi stared out the window of Yubaba's office as the moon reflected off the calm water. She slowly drifted away from herself as she just adored the beauty of the nature surrounding the bathhouse.

The dead bodies Yubaba had discovered the day before still lay within the outskirts of the baths. Most of the workers had fled from the bathhouse, but soon some started returning. Mizutohi could make out a couple of lone Yuna's making their way back into the entrance of the bathhouse only to meet an array of dead bodies.

As Yubaba's thoughts started to get more complicated she was kicked in the face by a large wrinkled foot. Her head cradled back due to the impact, and her eyes narrowed with arrogance. She was slowly starting to loose patience with her gigantic child. She could only stand so much, but she tried to keep her cool; however, her hands started trembling along with the rest of her body due to the stress that was building.

"I want Sen! Sen! Sen! I want Sen!" Boh picked up a various pile of pillows and chucked them at his mother. "I want to see Sen!"

"Honey. Oh my little baby, you will see Sen soon. Sen is fine at the moment. Please just quiet down and go to sleep."

The over sized baby shook his head furiously and started a loud wail. He raised a flailed once more and this time he sent his mother flying out of the playroom into her office. The baby over the last 5 years refused to grow up and liked being treated as a young child. Yubaba crashed into her desk, sending papers flying up in a swirl and ink splattering everywhere, which also caused some candles to fall off the desk and light up the carpet on fire.

Mizutohi sensed something was wrong and snapped out of her mental conversation. Turning around she found a wild mess within the office, a screaming baby from inside the playroom, and an office that was going to burn down from fallen candles. Mizutohi quickly concentrated and water filtered into her hands as it started to encircle her arm. She swiftly aimed her arms directly at the ashy carpet and water spiraled off her hands quickly sending smoke into the air. It billowed, rising to the ceiling in a uneven manner.

Yubaba sat up with pieces of her hair falling out of her neatly placed bun. Her nose flared, but he breathed in and out a few times trying to keep herself from exploding at her child. No matter how mean she was to her workers her baby always came first. Boh was the last remaining thing in her life, and she would treat him with the best care she could. The screaming suddenly ceased as Boh smelled the smoke drifted around within the office, and loud stomps came from the playroom. The over sized baby made his way out of the room staring at Yubaba and Mizutohi confused. Tear streaks stained his face as dripping paint would drip down a unfinished canvas as he stepped out of the play room.

"Mommy..." he sniffed while wiping his nose with his chubby arm. "What happened?"

Yubaba stared at Boh and swiftly placed herself upright as Mizutohi deceased the water in her hands. Mizutohi looked over at Yubaba then Boh.

"Honey nothing happened. Everything is alright. Mommy just knocked over some candles."

Boh stared at Yubaba then slowly nodded.

"Okay mommy...I'm sorry...I just want to see Sen." Boh then slightly yawned and a sense of relief washed over Yubaba. "I'm going to take a nap mommy" said Boh as he trudged off to his room.

"Is everything alright now ma'am?" Mizutohi stood clearly awaiting an answer as Yubaba whipped her fingers around various motions putting objects back in their places. The broken items and dented desk were fixed within moments as ink removed itself from the carpet flowing back into its glass container. Yubaba glanced at Mizutohi and gave her a slight nod.

"Would you mind going now? I have to clean this up and clear the dead bodies out of this bathhouse. This bathhouse is a mess and the loss of workers is ridiculous. How am I supposed to fix all of this? I can't replace workers within a few days! Spirits will be expecting baths and we are out of service!" She looked at Mizutohi and glared as a sudden anger rose in her. "This is your fault, all of your faults. If that girl hadn't come back none of this would've happened. Those pesky blind demons would've never come in here. My bathhouse would've been perfectly fine and none of my worker would be dead and-"

"Ma'am I'm sorry to say but this is none of my concern. I am merely on a mission to bring the Winds of Memories back to Chihiro. Your bathhouse has nothing to do with this girl, and don't go blaming problems on others. If you excuse me I am leaving now." Mizutohi turned towards the windows and with the sudden movement of a hand they rushed open with a gush of wind. Yubaba glared at Mizutohi with wide eyes.

"This isn't that girls fault she-"

But before Yubaba got to finish her sense a flow of blue feather fell to the floor only leaving a lone witch in a doomed bathhouse.

* * *

Kaze just shook his head as he paced back and forth across the room. The statement the girl said was still ringing in his head continuously.

_"Everything changes for a reason Kaze. Maybe this was one thing the Gods thought humans were worthy of having."_

Humans, he thought. Humans! How could they be worthy of a free will and purity that was only given to the weakest of creatures, he asked himself. For thousands of years humans have been separated from spirits by an invisible boundary that only very few humans crossed. The ones that crossed were either part spirit, wanted dead, by pure coincidence, or in this girls case, a preserved spirit who died. This girl was a living legend from a past life. Her future vague to her, but known by many and friends lost along the way she would never truly regain again. Her powers we awaiting inside her confused body waiitng to be set free and Kaze wished to unlock them for his own will. He just couldn't grasp them though. They were so close yet so far. If he couldn't get the internal fire he needed there was one more option for him.

"What are you planning exactly Kaze? Your pacing back and forth tells me you're under some sort of stress. Am I not correct?" Chihiro laid on the bed staring at the ceiling. Kaze had ignored her after her last comment. All he did was pace back and forth mumbling to himself.

"Nothing that concerns you."

"Then why am I still here exactly?" Kaze stiffened and turned towards Chihiro.

"I advise that your mouth remains shut before I shut it for you. You little feisty thing are annoying me to the brim of my existence. Everything you say sticks in my head and contradicts what I try to do. I need something and I can get it. I promise you Chihiro I will combine both worlds for my wanting. I will rule the human world and the spirit world by my strong hand. I will live forever, as no spirit or human has ever lived. That free will all filthy humans have will be mine!" Kaze glared at the girl. Chihiro slightly smirked and sighed.

"Kaze full of dreams, but no ambition to set them forth."

"Why you!"

"Why you, what? Are you going to do something to me?" She intimidated Kaze. Kaze breathed heavily out of his nose and his blond hair started to darken.

"Oh don't worry your time will come. I'm leaving you here, alone and lonely. I'm going to get what I need; the Winds of the Lost. Your power is strong, but the power of all of them is stronger. Chihiro my dream will come true in time. I promise you and mark my words, The day will come when you will be at my knees begging for mercy as I crush your soul and steal your powers. You will beg for me to stop killing the worthless breed you once came from. The humans will die and I will rule. Chihiro I will become the most powerful spirit ever. But for now you shall rot here as I set off for what I need to look for. Enjoy your stay in a dream land of my own, or a type of hell. No one will come for you."

Kaze turned and walked towards a wall disappearing into it laughing his head off. Chihiro remained in a dark lite room, but the candles slowly went out one by one. Leaving her in the dark in reach of whatever creatures lurked within those four walls; or was it more then just those four walls?

* * *

Haku pushed through the dull space trying to follow the others as they traveled through a void unknown to them. Very few spirits had been in here, but Okami was a guardian and space he was to guard. The dull space was just an endless tunnel, that didn't have a light at the end of it. All that Haku could do was sense the substance beneath him as his foot lifted to take another step. The substance beneath him was just like a black continuous cloth that you could feel beneath you, but it wasn't truly there. Haku kept his facial expressions to a bare minimum; however, inside he was furious with Kaze and was busy worrying if Chihiro was okay at the same time. His hands were clenched in fists, causing his fingers to dig deeply into his coarse palms. The blood had trouble traveling through his hands as anger took overwhelmed him as they got farther and farther into this mysterious region. Haku's hair was drafted in front of his face cloaking the ravaged dragon that wished to gain retribution on Kaze.

The others followed Haku as they blindly made their way through. Each of them held a silent state as they walked. This type of place was new to them; intriguing, yet somewhat disheartening at the same time. How or why would a place like this exist is what each kept asking themselves. Even though it was so dull, it contained a vast amount of emotion that slowly started to take a toll on each soul; although, each of them were basically a soul, but they did contain a purer soul then the one they already were.

Chirashi and Kokatsuna walked side by side looking straight ahead. Each of them stole glances at one another as they walked admiring the features of each. They were friends, or so they thought. Would friends look at each other so much? Would friends admire the face of one another and clearly remember every moment with each other? These two spirits had known each other for so long, yet they still refused to admit to anything anyone else spoke. But now as they walk through a blackened way they drew closer to one another, just slightly for protection , or was it?

Hana drifted behind Haku, glancing at the way he walked. She could see something was wrong the way he clenched his fists so much. This made a ugly feeling rise in her, but she tried pushing it away. That feeling was a nasty one and it reminded her of her old self. That feeling of jealously slowly sneaked it's way into her heart. The way the dragon cared for that girl angered her. She wished to have someone care for her like that. Hana longer for affection that no one wanted to give her and Chihiro had taken the one place she was going to stand in, at Haku's side. How could she win over Haku's heart? Was it even possible since he seemed to care for that girl with so much inner passion? Hana's train of thought was soon broken when Okami's voice trailed to her ears.

"I think I sense a disturbance a little farther up ahead. Just follow my lead and when I disappear come right after me. Got it?"

All the others nodded as they proceeded behind Okami's trail. Okami walked a few more paces and then faded into the dark outlining of the perimeter. Chirashi and Kokatsuna looked at each other then followed along with Hana close behind them, but she stopped when Haku wasn't following.

"You coming?" She asked questioningly. Haku mumbled something then looked at her from the corner of his eye.

"Just go ahead." He mumbled. He was scared what he was going to find on the other side of what they were going to pass through.

"Haku let's just go. If your worrying about her so much then lets go see if she's okay."

"You don't understand," He replied and Hana sighed.

"I do understand and-"

"You don't know what it means to worry about someone and they are totally out of your grasp. You don't know what it is to worry your heart out. You don't know what it's like to lo-"

"I do know what it's like to love Haku. You are the one who can't see past what people truly feel," and with that she faded in front of Haku's eyes. He stood there confused at what Hana had said, but forced himself to step forward into what might crush him to pieces.

* * *

As the last body part appeared on the other side of the region all of them looked straight ahead of them to see a slightly lit cavern. Haku took a step forward, urgent to find Chihiro as soon as possible. The other stood back observing the area around them.

Okami's hands faded back to their normal pale skin as he stepped forward beside Haku.

"Haku she's somewhere around here. This looks like the place Kaze would try to keep her."

Haku slightly nodded as a sudden blur of green scales lifted into the air. A green and white furred dragon of high stature stood in front of Okami with stern black eyes. A wave of uneasiness washed over Okami as the dragon placed it's claws on the ground, digging them in with a surging anger. Okami knew Haku started to feel something wrong, and whatever was happening he was going to cease it. The dragon gave a low growl and into a blur shot off down the cavern towards his senses. Okami looked at the others and ushered them to follow. Instead of transforming each ran in their humans forms after Haku.

Haku's fur rippled as he swept through twists and turns of this unknown place, but he knew where he was going because of Chihro's scent. He could feel danger in her scent, and it caused him a slight internal pain. His eyes guided him and soon he swirled into a turn and the cavern opened up into what looked like a large room. He quickly stopped flying and gracefully landed himself on the ground. Noises contracted with his ears and he turned to look at another corner of the room.

There in the corner stood a red furred dragon with golden horns trying to fend off demons. Red specks glistened off the fur coat of the dragon as it whipped it's tail sending a petite demon flying. Another sunk it's teeth into the dragons let causing it to let out a low growl, as it barely stood in it's place. It snarled at the crowd of demons around it as blood leaked out of its snout in between the sharp razor teeth attached to the firm jaw. The dragon swung its head back and forth trying to keep the demons away, but one screeched as they all suddenly topped and looked at the single demon. It screeched for a second more then all the demons viciously attacked the dragon as it let out a blood curling roar of pain. Seconds later it sunk to the ground, with patches of fur ending up on the floor and a pool of blood forming in front of Haku's eyes.

The scene in front of him reminded him of himself five years ago when Chihiro had saved him from Zeniba's spell casted paper figures. The same thrashing dragon and same forming blood. The blindness of his surroundings as he tried to endure the pain from within him.

Haku stared in horror and at the roar he sent himself flying at the demons, trying to save the one thing he loved the most.

* * *

**Happy Anniversary to this story, or a few hours early :P It has been exactly a year since I started writing this, on 3/17/11. I am so happy with the people that have stuck with me on this long writing adventure. I remember first finding this site and writing this fanfic. It was my very first fanfic and I never thought I would get this far. I thank every person who has reviewed, alerted, or favorited this story! I want to thank everyone in the future who continues to read this. I am very sorry for updating so late, but I'm done making excuses on why I can't update on time and all. I'm officially going to be updating this story every Sunday from now on. No matter how long or the short the chapter is going to be I'll have it poste; however, I won't make the chapter under 1,800 words, so expect a worthy length. At this point reviews are your choice. I'm just so happy that if you want to review, review. It would be nice ;) Thank for the 16,000 hits as well! I love that I'm getting so many people to read this story. No matter what this journey has been great, and I have kept it going. It won't be stopping soon. I love to write for my readers, but I also write for the experience and joy of writing. Thank you all again and I hope you truly enjoy this weekend as much as I'm planning too.**

**-Savvyzzzz**


	30. Chapter 31 Fighting For What You Love

Ripping and tearing through the demons, Haku snarled at them all and tore them off Chihiro. She was thrashing beneath him trying to get the demons off, but her mobility started to cease as her blood loss got greater. Haku gripped the small demons with his sharp canines, sunk them in deep piercing the demon's veins, then crushed, or ripped them to pieces. Blood was soon dripping out of his elongated snout; however, he was only focused on the figure before him, not wanting to repeat the same fate he almost had encountered five years ago. Haku clawed a demon ripping right through it, and knocking others away with the swift movement of a tail. His sight became tunnel visioned as his body let its dragon instinct take over. His mind yelled at him to hurry the process, nagging him over and over to hurry. He yelled repeatedly at his conscience trying to make the unneeded thoughts floating around in his head go away.

The reddish dragon slowly felt her world around her body go blank. The surrounding vision of sight was going down to a bare minimum. The noises from the ripping of her skin and the screeching of the demons were slowly fading away. They were there, but the voices to her were distant; however; a lean like figure stood in front of her dimming vision. It swiftly moved knocking the unknown objects away from her bleeding body. The dragon tried to let out a growl, but the energy wasn't within her grasp to even slightly move anything. Eyes slowly lapsed over themselves and the world soon came caving in.

It wasn't understood by this dragon why she couldn't fight properly. Maybe it was the Dream state Kaze had created, but she felt extremely weak before this anyway. The dragon had many things to learn before she could recall her full power. Only a small percentage of her power was known to her either through slight practice or vague memories of the past. Why couldn't she just remember who she was, she thought. The last thought her mind let her see before she slipped into the darkness was this:

_'What powers really contain themselves within me and...and...what kind of spirit am I truly?'_

Haku swept on of the last demons away with a loud roar and water had drowned several others. This green tempered dragon was just focusing on killing the demons; even though, he didn't want to use his elements, just for the sake of hurting Chihiro. He knew he was careful, but to be safe he decided to be safe; however, that dragon instinct took over him and his mind slipped from his conscious. Haku had recalled the water fluid within the demons body and redirected it into their lungs. It washed into the lungs, filling them up, not allowing air flow to keep the oxygen level high enough in their bodies. The demons started to gag and clutched the sharp claws they contained to their chest. The water then solidified against the walls of the lungs causing the demons to keel over; eyes rolling back soon sending them into a session of constant twitching.

He placed a claw in front of him which landed in a pile of black blood. Haku also kicked a few dead demons to the side, as their bodies rolled to the side aimlessly. His shining coat was now covered in an array of scattered blood dyed hairs. Little did he care about this though, as he loomed over the reddish dragon beneath him. Chihiro seemed to be out cold and her chest rose with an uneven beat. Haku lowered his snout and slightly nudged her side to see if she responded, and in turn, she did not. He nudged her one more trying to get a response, but none came. He bared his teeth and snarled in anger, an anger that had formed just for Kaze. This was his fault and his fault only. A low growl emitted from his throat, then he tossed his head up letting out a blood curling roar.

His eyes scanned the dragon whom he loved once more before her scales flew up in an instant array. The peeled away revealing a cut up, young, blood gashed, spirit. The dragon just stared in horror at the state her human form was in. No matter how strong she was at this point, Chihiro's body was going to give in sooner or later. Her power was still encased inside her, not knowing how to release itself. Long gashes ran down her arms and some laps of skin on her forearm were peeled away from the depth of the gashes. Bruises covered her face and they ran down her legs as well. Her hair was sprawled away on the floor, and a painful look plastered her face, as she remained unconscious.

Haku soon stood as a human looking at the spirit below him. His hands trembled as they reached to stroke Chihiro's face. Chihiro's skin was starting to get pale and her scooped her into his arms. The body of the girl laid in his lap; although, he tried not to show any emotions. No matter what he would never look weak he told himself. He could cry not, he thought. He had to get Chihiro to somewhere safe so they could heal her. Just as he rose with the girl's body limp in his eyes they others ran into the room.

"We need to get her to somewhere safe."

* * *

**Sorry guys for the late update and for the really small chapter. I'll be updating again this sunday but my weekend was extremely busy with track and ninjutsu. Well hope you guys like this mini chapter and see you this sunday! :)**


	31. Chapter 32 Losing and Lost

Chirashi stared wide eyed at the girl limp in Haku's arms. Blood dripped off some parts of her body, while cuts ripped deep into her creamy skin. Her hair messed up and parted wrong apart from her clothes which were ripped and torn. Haku held the girl tightly to him and didn't dare let go of her. The sight Chirashi took in was a fairly bloody type. Blood stained the floor, as if a young child took a paint brush and splattered in onto a canvas; a canvas covered with uneven strokes and handled with a careless effort. Bodies were carelessly thrown across the floor, as some were in piles while others were scattered. Scratches were etched into them while gashes ran deep within the depths of their skin. The slayed demons rested in poses that were unseemly disturbing: scrunched up in twisted positions, heads turns more then three hundred degrees, and limbs bent awkwardly beyond the breaking point for which a natural animal or spirit was supposed to have.

Kokatsuna walked up beside Chirashi and stared as well. Hana and Okami soon flowed up into the group to stare at the blood stained scene, but Haku's voice cut through them all. His voice cut right through their ears; an urgent call that let worry slip into it as well.

"Guys, we need to get Chihiro back to Zeniba's as soon as possible. Guys! She's going to bleed to de-"

"Haku calm down." Okami walked forward towards him, looking at the girls limp body. "She'll be fine."

The young green haired man glared at Okami, knowing that his answer was far from what he wanted to hear. She wasn't going to be okay. She was bleeding to death and the others were just standing there staring.

"Okay? You think she's going to be okay? She's bleeding to death and unconscious. Are you all just going to stand there?" His voice filled with more urgency. His only way out was for Okami to open another rip for them to get back. Okami, however, just stood there looking at Haku's pleading eyes. He'd never seen the dragon care so much in the 2,000 years he knew him. He knew the dragon had a heart, and cared for when one of his friends was hurt, but the look in his eyes was something he hadn't seen before. His eyes looked into Okami's, begging to help him get Chihiro out of there. Okami admired that Haku finally had someone in his life he was willing to risk his life for. Chihiro would be the one to help Haku break that hardened shell he had to open and become less emotionless all the time.

"Kohaku, we'll get her out, just calm your scales and we can leave. She's not going to die Haku. She's not a human as you thought he to be, she's a spirit with more power then most of us could dream, but it's all still locked up inside that frail body. Haku don't get used to caring for her so much. She's going to begin to draw away from you once she learns to use her powers. However, let's get her out of her before any more of those pesky demons make their way back in here."

Haku once again glared at Okami, but took in everything he said. He was half right about everything he said. He needed to calm down and she wasn't as weak as she thought, but she still needed help. The part about her drawing away, he kept insisting that that was never going to happen. Chihiro would never do that, would she? She would never draw away from Haku because of her amount of powers. Of course, if she was stronger, she would need less protecting, but push him away completely, impossible.

Haku kept looking at Okami and gave him a slight nod. He knew he was right about calming down, so he tried to settle his nerves a bit so they could all leave before more demons attacked them. The others stared at Haku as he gave into Okami's advice. Usually the dragon was very cautious and ignorant with listening to people, but it seemed since this was for Chihiro's sake, he would listen. Okami walked past as Haku and Haku turned around right after to follow at his footsteps right past the other Lost Ones.

Hana's concentration was very vague as she stared at the image before her, Haku with Chihiro in his arms. An ache in her heart stood and she knew it shouldn't be there. She had told herself hundreds of years ago that she was over this dragon, but that feeling stirred within her once again. A impressive feeling of jealously whelmed in her, burning her mind and her fists clenched together. She wished that the dragon wasn't so blind and saw what she was feeling; however, he had always been like that and she knew that. There was no way of changing his feelings from Chihiro to her, but it was beginning toget hard for Hana to contain them much longer. At the moment, she promised herself she wouldn't let anything show since the situation wasn't right.

"Hana, you coming? We need to leave before any more demons come." Hana blinked a few times to look up at Chirashi.

"Uh...Yeah I'm coming. I was just thinking about something."

"You okay though? You seem to be zoning out lately." Chirashi examined her facial expression, but mostly her eyes.

"Yeah, of course I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" She gave a slight chuckle after.

"Just wondering. Now come on."

Chirashi grabbed hold of Hana's wrist and led her along with the others. Chirashi's grip was loose on Hana's hand, but Hana's eyes drifted to Haku once again trying to succumb that odd feeling inside her.

Haku's heart cringed in pain, trying not to look at the girl in his arms. Her body was completely limp and her body heat was radiating off her onto him. He just wanted to rip Kaze apart at the moment; wanted to tear at his skin and rip him inside out. That dragon in him was the other part of him, fierce and deadly. This part of him was vile but did care for the people he loved. When he wanted revenge that side took over. His control over that form had gotten better, but this situation was different. A growl emitted from his throat as he walked behind Okami trying to keep his emotions down.

Haku held Chihiro closer to him, not wanting her to get any further injuries. To keep his mind off her to stop him from further worrying he look up a the changing setting around him. The walls started turning back into the damp cave setting they had entered with.

''Haku, how is she doing?" Okami asked as he walked ahead of him. Haku just kept silent and OKami repeated the question once more, not receiving an answer.

"How is she doing, Haku?"

"I'm not in the mood to talk Okami. Not in the mood to talk one bit, so just leave me alone okay? Just open a rip and get us all out of her before I claw someones insides out."

Okami turned around to see Haku's eyes dilated and darkened. His hair just lightly shaded his agitated expression. The dragon still kept the girl close, and Okami decided to stop with the questions. To just keep walking would be the best idea because a fight breaking out right now would not be the best thing.

The others watched Okami and Haku walk ahead of them. They watched them bicker every few minutes, with Okami asking stupid question while Haku either didn't answer him or nastily told him to shut up.

"How much longer are the going to keep doing this?" Chrashi whispered to Kokatsuna.

"I have no idea. Haku really just seems sngry witht he current situation, but I can't blame him for caring about Chihiro."

"Yeah, you're right about that. He does care, but when did he start caring so much about someone? He used to be so cold without letting his feelings out no, and now each day his emotions seep out even more. This cold hearted dragon is now becoming a bit whole. It scares me."

"It shows he has something to care about now." Said Kokatsuna with a sigh. "But this current situation we are all in are testing our emotions and skills to the limit. Kaze trying to combine the Human World and the Spirit World to gain god knows what is horrifying. I don't truly know what he can possibly want from humans, but him combining both worlds is going to take a toll on everyone."

"I know. I'm just worried how this is all going to turn out. Who's going to die, will the two worlds be lost forever, and most importantly, will Kaze succeed?"

Kokatsuna looked down at Chrashi, staring her in the eyes.

"Chirashi, only time can tell what will happen. Fate is the decider and decision maker of life. But no matter what happens, I, and all of us will fight for what we can. Because the future can always be changed, nothing is ever written in stone." Kokatsuna whispered to her then looked up at where they were going. The conversation seemed to end there as Kokatsuna fell silent and walked ahead of Chrashi with no further explanation.

"Future...nothing is ever written in stone..." She uttered to herself, then looked up to see everyone had come to a complete stop. Chirashi blinked a few times trying to realize what was going on.

Okami stood in front of them all, and Haku a few feet back. Haku's hair glistened in the low light of the high ceilings of the cave, while Okami's hands started to glow a light purple. It enveloped his hands; such a frivolous light contained so much power. The light grew and grew, suddenly causing Chirashi to understand what was going on. They were finally leaving and Haku, impatiently, tapped his foot on the ground and growling in the pit of his throat. The dying girl in his arms was once again worrying him to the edge of death, but Okami's hand slowly got brighter and brighter. Whispered words flowed out of his mouth like a river and soon a tearing sound occurred echoing around the cave like room.

There in front of everyone, stood a large black essence, known as a time rip. The rip quivered under Okami's strong able hands as he kept it open. The others looked in amazement at the sight before them, but Haku wasn't the least bit impressed.

"Can we leave now?" He asked impatient.

Okami turned to give him a look, but slightly nodded. Within a second Haku turned into a blur and disappeared into the rip; nothing was left of his emerald eyed form. The injured girl was gone with him and the others looked worried. Okami sighed and waved everyone into the rip before anything else could seriously happen.

"That dragon is going to miss the girl he knew before" Okami muttered as the other Lost Ones passed him by into the waiting rip before them.

* * *

**Sorry about the short chapter and I thank everyone who has reviewed since the last chapter. Next chapter will definitely be longer then this, way longer. Everything as the moment is starting to calm down so more updates she be happening frequently. Well adios to everyone reading this and probably see you in another week or so for the next update :) **


	32. Chapter 33 Long Gone and Misery

A red furred dragon, with flowing blue skin as if the ocean was contained within her, glistened in the setting sun. Two weeks had passed since that strange girl arrived, Chihiro. The girl that turned around to be the one they lost those hundreds of years ago. She was finally back and Mizutohi was carrying the item that this girl needed. The Winds of Memories coursed in her mind and body as if it were her. The dragon at the moment held this power at her grip, and hopefully this was enough to cure the forgotten memories of this strange, peculiar girl.

Mizutohi's body whipped in uneven movements an animal nor spirit should be able to move. Her muscles flexed as her feet sat under the smooth fur the her underbelly. This dragon was a creature of great power, and she knew it, but continued to fly for the reason she needed to complete. Her mind filled with thoughts as she flew. Some important and others just mere memories that had no meaning; just the little things she enjoyed throughout her whole lifetime. Some memories derided her, while other made her feel commended for the things she did in the past. The memories flickered through like an old vintage projector; like as if a button was pressed, each was shown then the next would appear.

"_Mizutohi you have to keep flying. Flying takes coordination and dedication. If you are a spirit of the wind, you have to become the wind, and join it as one."_

_*memory*_

_"Nothing lives forever young one. Even the greatest of spirits fade, but they fade knowing that they lived with a purpose and fulfilled it"_

_*memory*_

_"Mizutohi, don't cry. I'll be here for you. I'll never leave you."_

_*memory*_

_"I love you."_

_"I love you too, dad."_

As she kept flying her mind waved in and out of its stable manner. Mizutohi finally realized what was happening. In her head she called upon the spirit dwelling in her mind. It answered her with an utterly odd call saying it was doing her a favor before its true job would have to be done. It stated that she herself needed to remember the fine things in life and the little things. The play of memories continued for an on going time, then stopped later. Mizutohi's mind seemed to be open to a world now at the moment. Those lost things now were replayed again in the richness of her once young soul. Her heart felt full again, but she still had a job to complete.

'_Don't forget young one. I did this for you for a reason. You remember those memories because forgetting them will make your life seem that it has disappeared in a flash. The little things are what shape us today.'_

"Thank you." Mizutohi replied with a whisper for the sudden gift. It wasn't a gift you might call it, but an enlighenment from the past?

But Mizutohi experienced a small portion of what Chihiro might experience. She just was reminded of the memories she merely bothered to remember, while Chihiro's would flow out like a rushing river; a heavenly door being open to a new journey.

This new journey would come in time, but Mizutohi just kept flying through the open air towards Zeniba's house, not knowing anything occurred to Chihiro while she was gone.

* * *

The door crashed open, revealing a young, slightly green haired man with a bloody looking girl in his arms. His eyes held hate and a sort of plead. He was deathly worried about the girl in his arms, not knowing what the outcome would be; however, Haku had faith in her. She was strong and he believed she would pull through, but this hurtful state and running blood was agitating him even more.

The witch saw the rancor and pain in his eyes as she beckoned him forward. She looked at her granddaughter who lay in his arms as well. Chihiro was smeared with blood and body damp with sweat. Her breathing was uneven as her chest rose and fell as well. Her shirt was torn at its seems and her pants represented the same image. Chihiro was torn from the inside out mentally and physically. The witch waved No Face to fetch her some things for the girl as she directed Haku towards the couch.

The girl was placed on the couch and her hair sprawled out on the pillow. Her breathing was still uneven and her eyelids lay perfectly closed. Obviously her body was in an unstable condition and everyone in the room could clearly see and sense that. The feeling in the room seemed to be filled with hatred and gloominess. Each spirit looked at the hurt girl on the couch, some not knowing what to feel. The witch looked at the girl form head to toe as her hands glided over the surface of her body. Heat radiated off the witches hands as she felt the internal condition of Chihiro.

Zeniba could sense a slight internal bleeding within Chihiro's lower abdomen, while her outer body contained various scratches and bruises; each a different size and shape causing amounts of excruciating pain the girl could not feel since her body was in a state of dormancy. She continued this process for a few more minutes as the other spirits crowded around her. Some glancing over her shoulder and others kneeling beside the old witch; however, on the other side of the room a young man paced back and forth. His agony kept growing inside him. It was something Haku himself seemed he was not able to contain. His whole inside felt like the temperature was rising because of his rising anger towards Kaze. His vision dimmed and was only focused on the wood floor his feet were stumbling back and forth on.

_'Why couldn't someone else get hurt' _he thought. _'Why does she have to suffer...Couldn't she have just been a normal human that didn't have anything to do with the Spirit World. Perhaps she would've just stumbled her and left when she could, but I...I could never forget her could I? How did I not see before that Chihiro was anything but normal.'_

Haku stopped in his mid walking motion and started to think for a moment, but it seemed oddly quiet now. The whispers from Chirashi, Hana, Kokatsuna, and Okami slowly died out. His head rose up and scanned the couch, Chihiro and Zeniba. Zeniba rose from the floor a second later with a facial expression that didn't seem to hold any sympathy or comfort for Haku. Her eyes skimmed his face then locked with his. Her expression could not be anymore upturned. Even though wrinkles and a giant wart covered her old aged face, the worry still showed through.

_'Please let her be okay...' _He thought once more.

"Zeniba...How is she?" He voice croaked and the witch just sighed. She walked over to Haku as the other Lost ones stared at the witches back. She walked up to him until she was face to face, nose to nose, and eye to eye with him. Then her breath curled out from her lips, pooling out to Haku's sensitive skin. Her voice came out low as a whisper.

"Haku, she is fine, but at the moment her loss of blood has been rather great. Her body however, is a different story. It seems her body at the moment is a battle with itself." He eyes scanned his face. "Do you truly know that state she is in Haku, not at the moment, but her state as being a spirit?"

Haku stood there confused and didn't know how to answer.

"She's a spirit Zeniba," He said "Right?"

"Yes and no; however, when she wakes up we will have to question her bout what happened back in that cavern. None of us have no idea about what happened and it could explain the condition she's in."

"What do you mean by yes or no? She's thriving here in the Spirit World fine. How can she be and not be a spirit?"

Zeniba sighed once more and a curling breath escaped her mouth. She wasn't sure what to tell Haku. He knew what Kaze wanted and that Chihiro was powerful, but the state she was in at the moment was unstable and seemed almost impossible.

"Haku, what do you know about Chihiro? Do you think she is completely dead? Do you think she is a powerful spirit or still a mere human?"

Haku looked at her as if she were asking a trick question.

"Zeniba this isn't the time to joke around. I need to know how she's doing. And what do I think, I think Chihiro is fully a spirit now. Her human form was a resting place for her powerful spirit to keep her safe."

"Haku," She said. "How do I say this?...Chihiro is dead nor alive it seems. Her soul seems different from you guys. Beside the fact that each of you are apart of a different aspect of nature, her soul still isn't a resemblance of a spirits soul."

Haku looked at Zeniba then the other Lost Ones behind her. They looked at him wanting to know the outcome of her, but he just looked at them for a few more seconds then back at Zeniba and whispered.

"What?"

"I cannot explain it Haku. Yes, I'm a witch of more than 20,000 years of age, but I cannot truly tell you what is going on with her. At the moment Mizutohi is coming back with the Winds of Memories. After Chihiro has awoken, her memory shall be regained; although, the Winds of Memories might have an idea about what's going on with her. The Winds of Memories after all does hold most, or all, of the knowledge contained in this world."

Haku opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. He really didn't no what to say. He as utterly confused and worried about Chihiro. She wasn't dead or alive? How was that even possible, was what confused him even more. Instead of his mind going crazy trying to figure out what Zeniba meant his mind just repeated one statement.

'_Dead nor alive'_

"Haku?" A voice called out and he looked up to see Zeniba looking at him. "I'm going to keep Chihiro here for the time being until Mizutohi gets back. I think it would be best if the others go back to the hotel you guys rented."

Haku opened his mouth to protest. There was no way he was going to leave Chihiro here with just Zeniba. He was going to make sure she was okay when she woke up.

"Zeniba there is no wa-"

"You can stay in the guest room Haku. The one next to Chihiro's room."

"What?"

"I said you can stay in the guest room. I'm just going to let you stay since arguing with a persistent dragon is useless."

He gave a slight nod, then drifted pass Zeniba to the Lost Ones, except all of them were turned now watching Chihiro. He walked up to Okami and gave him a slight tap on the shoulder.

"You guys have to go back to the hotel at the moment. Chihiro needs to rest and Mizutohi hasn't arrived yet, so there really isn't a reason for you to remain here. I don't mean to be rude, but the less people there are here the better."

Okami was about to open his mouth to argue that they all belonged here as much as he did, that they weren't less important, but arguing with the dragon would just cause trouble. So Okami turned to the others and delivered the news that they were to leave at that moment. The others seemed likw they were going to argue against what he told them; however, they all just merely nodded towards him.

"I hope she gets better." Chirashi whispered.

"She powerful Chirashi. There's no doubt she won't come through. The old spirit that was strong and courageous, is still in there, so she will pull through no matter what." Kokatsuna whispered to her.

"I hope you're right Kokatsuna." She replied.

"He's probably right." Hana joined in.

"Let's go you three before Haku starts yelling for us to leave. I'll come back tomorrow to see how she is doing, but for now we are leaving and going to get a good rest."

All three of them looked at Okami and sighed as they headed towards the door.

"Keep safe..." Came a quiet voice from the middle of the room and Okami turned to see Haku.

"We will. Make sure she stays safe Haku. I know and care for her as well, make sure she get's through this...She needs you." But before Haku could reply the door quietly closed behind all four of them.

"I hope she still needs me." Haku whispered to himself as he thought of what Okami said a few hours before. But his thought was interrupted by the tap of the witch's old, frail finger upon his shoulder.

* * *

Sun showed through the glass window as morning approached the Spirit World. A stir came from the bed that held an injured girl. Her eyes flickered open, but quickly closed because of how bright the suns rays were through the window.

"Stupid sun." She groaned as she pulled the blankets over her head, although, as soon as she lifted her arms to pull the sheets up a sharp pain ran through her body. This sent the girl to let out a loud groan as her arms fell back onto the bed. She moved her head slightly to glance at where she was and her eyes widened a bit. Wasn't she supposed to be in Kaze's dream state thing, or whatever you call it, she thought. All she remembered was little furious black creatures that hid along the walls and traveled in the shadows towards her. She then felt a sensation overcome her, as her body changed into something; however, she couldn't remember what exactly.

"Dammit." She said in an attempt to get up from the bed.

* * *

Outside the room the dragon sat at the table slowly dozing off. He tried to keep awake all night, checking on Chihiro every half an hour or so. He could sense when she was in pain or in need of something anyway. So staying in the room wasn't really needed, since remaining in there would have just angered him even more. He was finally able to close his eyes for a few moments, but a sudden clatter occurred in one of the rooms. Haku's eyes quickly flickered open and one word rang through his mind.

_'Chihiro'_

With a swift movement he got up and darted to the guest room Chihiro was in despite the drowsiness that was slowly taking a toll on him. Haku grasped the door handle and swung himself into the room to see Chihiro struggling to get up from the floor. A cough rose up in her and a few specks of blood glistened off the floor. Haku didn't take another moment to observe as he rushed to Chihiro's side.

"Chihiro," He whispered in a gentle voice "You should be resting. My god, you are coughing up blood for heavens sake."

The girl managed to make slight eye contact with him and her eyes pleaded that she was in great pain. She just wanted to help herself, even though she was in a horrible condition.

"Please...help me...up...Haku...My whole body...hurts..." She managed to say. She raised a shaky hand to Haku's arm. He could clearly sense the pain within her and it hurt him to see her like this. Haku carefully wrapped both of his arms around her body and lifted her up. As realization hit her about what Haku was doing, a sudden blush overwhelmed her cheeks. The condition she was in didn't concern the state she was in. She was being held bridal style by Haku.

As Haku saw the look on her face, he realized what he was doing as well, but just gave her a soft smile. He then walked over to the bed and softly placed her back on it. She kept her gaze locked with eyes didn't seem to want to look away from each other, but Haku was the first to break the gaze.

"Chihiro you need to be more careful. Stop being so persistent when it comes to you being injured. "

"Haku...I'm fine...I'm just a bit...cut up."

"Just a bit cut up?" He said as he sat down on the bed. "You are covered in gashes, bruises, cuts, and you are coughing up blood. No you are not fine."

Chihiro suddenly flinched at Haku's words and tone.

"Haku...trust me I'm-"

"No you're not fine!" He raised his voice then realized what he had done. "Chihiro...I'm sorry it's just that seeing you like this isn't right."

She looked at Haku and just stared at him. He had never really raised his voice at her before.

"Haku, I can take care of myself...I know what's...wrong with me...I don't need to be pampered...okay?" She said, then let out a raspy cough that sent large specks of blood to cover the sheets.

Haku outstretched his hand towards her.

"Chihiro..."

Chihiro threw a hand up to block Haku's offered hand and pushed it away.

"I...don't need...your help...right now..." She said through her uplifting coughs.

With that Chihiro kept coughing, and all Haku could do was watch as blood started to cover the sheets. Maybe Okami was right about Chihiro. Maybe she wouldn't need him as much anymore as she begun to find out what she was.

_'She's going to begin to draw away from you once she learns to use her powers'_

Okami's words rang through his head. He continued to think, but Chihiro's coughs got in the way of his thoughts. He didn't want to anger her because she didn't want his help. At this moment he just wanted to grab her body and pull her close to him; pull her close and tell her everything was going to be okay. He looked up at her again, and her coughs had started to subside, but she looked miserable. Chihiro's skin was pale and her hands were covered in blood as well. Just as he was about to say something, the door behind him cracked open, revealing Zeniba's old face.

"Haku." She said quietly as she observed that Chihiro was awake. "Mizutohi has arrived."

* * *

**Hey guys! Sorry for the wait. I did promise I would update and I have. School for me is ending in about 54 days and I'm so excited and guess what that means...More updates! From now on I will be updating each week between Wednesday-Friday. The latest a chapter would come would be a Saturday. Hope all of you liked this chapter and this are starting to pick up a bit :P Thank you for everyone that has read and reviewed. This story now has 18,300 views and that's because of you guys so...THANK YOU AGAIN! Well please leave a review because the button below is just waiting for you. Well peace out everyone and enjoy the weekend :)**


	33. Chapter 34 Making Up Her Mind

Haku just looked at Zeniba then looked back at Chihiro questioning himself whether or not he should get up, or stay with her. He glanced over at Chihiro again the just see her kneeling over the bed; shoulders were hunched and her hair hung in her face. He sighed to see if she would react and she did not, so then he got off, and again she didn't react. Haku moved his green hair out of his face and nodded towards Zeniba.

"I'll be there in a moment." He said in a whisper.

Zeniba gave a slight nod in return and shut the door behind her with a creek.

Haku swept his eyes to Chihiro once more to see her looking at him through her fallen hair. Her chestnut eyes scanned his body, but it was hard to tell how she was looking at him through her messy hair. He could feel her blush as he moved towards her once more. He slowly raised a hand and swept the hair away from her face and placed it behind her ear. She then slowly raised her eyes to his and a somewhat look of dread lurked within her chestnut eyes. He once again placed himself on the bed, and Chihiro felt the weight of the bed go down with him slightly. She looked back down at the speckled white bed sheets that were now covered in blood. Haku took his hand again and placed it under her chin, raising her head slowly to meet his emerald pearls. Chihiro looked into his eyes and saw something she recognized, but it was quite foreign to her as well. It was something like worry and love mushed together with a lot of other things.

"Chihiro," he whispered "Look at me. Please."

She looked at his eyes for a few moments then took his hand and pried it away from her soft creamy skin. Chihiro placed his hand in his lap and scooted back on the bed towards its post.

"Chihiro..."

She had no reply. Her eyes just remained on the blood specks on the sheets and Haku just stared with a hurt expression, but tried not to show it. He didn't understand what was wrong with her. He had saved her and tried to comfort her and now Chihiro was drawing away from him. In one more attempt to get an answer or a reaction out, he asked a simple question.

"Chihiro what's wrong?"

She sat there for another moment then just shook her head slightly.

"That's not an answer Chihiro. Please let me help you. I can just heal you and you can rest and-"

"I don't need your magic, or whatever you can do. I'm perfectly fine with healing myself." She said with a rough voice.

"Chihiro."

"Leave Haku. I'm not going to say it again, just leave."

"You need to be healed...You need to rest so we can get you ready to regain your memories. Chihiro we need your help and I-"

"We...That's all I hear...The word 'We'."

"Yes, we nee-"

"No." She raised her voice. "No there is no we. There is no needing me for anything. I'm not a part of any of this. I didn't even want to agree to help you guys! I want to be back in the human world where there is no danger, where there aren't evil demons trying to kill me. I want to be normal again. I don't want to be reminded of what I used to be. That's all I hear you guys telling me now, is that I have to remember what I used to be. What happens if I like the way I am now? I don't want to change...I don't want to remember Haku! I don't want to see blood, dead bodies, or fighting any more. I don't want to see bloodshed and people I know getting hurt."

Haku just sat there staring at her trying to understand her pain. He, a long lived spirit, understood and had gotten over the pain of seeing spirits die. If there needed to be something done, Haku did it quickly, and if he could, cleanly. Didn't she want to remember? He liked the way she was now...No he loved the way she was now, but he remembered when she said she loved him; was that even true? Yes, it was true, she did love him. He pushed the doubt away. Her pain kept seeking into his mind, like a broken damn.

"Chihiro I understand. I know you don't want to change and feel anymore pain, but you were gifted with what you have now."

"I don't want it."

"You're strong."

"I don't want it."

"They need you."

"I don't want it." She started to curl her fists and hang her head again.

"It's okay. You have people around you that care about you and can help you get through it."

Her fists clenched even more and her body started to shake. Her body convulsed and salty droplets started to spill onto the sheets mixing with the drying blood. He just didn't understand, did he? She didn't want to see pain, people getting hurt, fighting around her, people dying...She didn't want_ him_ in pain, didn't want _him_ getting hurt, _him_ fighting around her, didn't want _him_ dying. He stayed where he was and just watched.

"_We_ are here to help you through it." He said that and suddenly that caused her to explode.

"I don't want anyone's help! I don't want anyone's help but yours! I don't want to fight because I don't want to see you get hurt. Wherever I go, you have to come after me and risk your life to save me. I don't want the we I want the you. Those few memories I got before about you killing me and what I truly am, I don't want. I'm still disturbed by the fact that I died because of you Haku...It scares me...It really does...I don't want to change! I want it to be like it was five years ago! Me, the frail ten year old girl. You, the strong handsome dragon, who helped me through me biggest adventure of my life. This, this whole thing now basically decides if everyone around me dies...I don't want that!"

With that she got up and stormed out of the room.

Haku just sat there speachless with a loss of words. He looked up to see the door slam closed, but it quickly swung back open from the force she applied to it. His ind was trying to grope for an idea, or what to think, but, he could think of nothing, nothing at all. He undetstood everything she said, and he thought she forgot about that memory with him killing her; however, she obviously did not. He didn't understand what she was scared of. If she did remember her old memories, she would still be he same person, but a spirit now with different powers. Her act just reminded him of the ten year old girl he used to know; the one that was scared, as well as brave at the same time, but confused and needed comfort.

He just sat there on the bed thinking. She was hurt and she needed to rest. Although, now she was probably either in the living room or outside Zeniba's house leaving. His body kept contemplating whether or not he should get up and follow her. He just sighed, got up, and whispered to himself.

"Chihiro just needs time to think and calm down...She'll eventually come back...Right?"

He asked himself as he walked into the living room questioning himself over and over.

* * *

"Where's the Winds of Memories Mizutohi?" Zeniba asked curiously after they had a slight conversation on the current condition of everything and the bathhouse.

"Well," She said with a shuffling of her feet. "It's kind of hard to explain." She looked up with her blue hair drafting away from her face.

'_No, not really. I'm right here and it's a pleasure to meet you Zeniba.'_

A sudden voice rang throughout both of their heads and Zeniba looked around in confusion.

"Wait wha-"

"It's...It's inside me."

"You mean the Winds of Memories is literally in you?" She asked confused.

"Uh...Yeah." She said with a shy smile.

"Why?" But then a soft voice rang in Zeniba's head once again.

'_If I were to travel in my true form I would mostly be defenseless. I highly doubt a blue floating ball of heavenly light can protect itself. It was easier if I would place myself within this young powerful spirit here, since It rust her and she seems worthy. Her body appears to me as a safe haven, so there is no need to worry' _The tender voice replied.

"I'm not worried, it's just that I have heard of this type of thing before, but I wasn't expecting you to arrive within Mizutohi's body." Zeniba said, but a second after she said that a girl stormed out from one of the guest rooms.

Chihiro walked out of the room with her head hung down and her fists clenched. Her hair hung like a curtain hiding her beautiful skin, but if her face wasn't covered you would see that tear marks stained her face; however, there were also dried blood specks on her hands and Chihiro's eyes were stricken with anger. She just needed to get out and let out her building anger of being misunderstood and not understood somewhere besides this place. Zeniba and Mizutohi just stared confused at Chihiro. Mizutohi just looked at her, seeing that she was injured and not in the greatest state at the moment. She had been informed a few minutes before by Zeniba that she had been kidnapped, while she was out retrieving the Winds of Memories.

"Chihiro where are you going?" Zeniba asked in a concerning manner. She knew Chihiro should be resting, and why she was out of bed was a mystery. She could clearly see a disturbance in Chihiro's manner. Hod Haku done something to her, she thought. Although, Chihiro didn't bother to give a response to Zeniba, but stopped moving. Mizutohi observed this and spoke up.

"Chihiro, I have found the Winds of Memories for you. When you are better we can regain your memories. What seems to be the problem? That naughty dragon upset you?" She said with a slight smile. Chihiro slowly raised her head to this and glared at what she thought to be a pugnacious dragon spirit.

"I'm in not mood to talk to anyone, especially you." She hissed, emphasizing the word you. The former memory from a few days ago when Mizutohi kissed Haku still lurked in her mind and the thought of smashing her head against a wall occurred quite a few times. She just took a couple of strides towards the door and placed a hand on the knob.

"I'll be back in a few hours hopefully. I suggests no one follow me, and if Haku does ask where I'm going tell him you have no idea." With that the door swung open and slammed behind her.

Mizutohi and Zeniba exchanged a confused look and sighed.

"That dragon has something to do with it." Said Zeniba with a growl.

"Probably does..." replied Mizutohi and looked around the room. Zeniba then sensed something and yelled out.

"Haku I suggest you get your sorry ass out here and do some explaining, or I will personally come in that room and drag you out."

A few seconds later a dragon walked out sighing. His posture was slightly slouched and his manner wasn't very appealing. Haku walked out of the room to Mizutohi and Zeniba with a confused face.

"I'm just going to say now. I officially don't know what happened and why she walked out like that." As he said that he threw his hands up as if he were an innocent criminal. "All I know is that it's not a good time to give her, her memories back just yet. She needs to sort out some things with herself first."

"Sort out whether she hates you or not." Mizutohi said with a smirk and that earned her a glare from Haku.

"This isn't a time to be playing games Mizutohi. Chihiro's out there injured and confused. So please, just hold back the mocking comments for a few minutes."

* * *

She ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She could probably run at an inhumane speed if she wanted to, but she just wasn't feeling it. Her fists remained clenched and her hair flowed majestically behind her. The cuts she had received the night before had already begun to heal and scabs had already formed on her once flawless skin. Her head rung as she run, and pain struck her, however, she just pushed it all away. Chihiro's eyes just glared at the scenery in front of her as she ran through a forest with the morning sun streaming through the uplifted trees. No one seemed to understand the situation and Chihiro hated it.

The sun continue to shine though, and she passed the sky would disappear then reappears moments later. It was like getting a glimpse of a picture every few seconds, with more and more detail as the canopy of trees opened up. Her feet kept carrying her as they made a pitter patter sound on the soft earth; the earth where she was supposedly derived from, but now, she found she was not human. In the last two weeks she had discovered a whole new world and new mind set. Her powers were locked up in her waiting to be let free; locked behind a royal gate containing a flowing river of divine powers. For different reasons she did not want it to show, and for other reasons she was scared of it.

Thoughts raced through this young spirits mind, but they all disappeared as the clearing swept open into the vast landscape she remembered from a week again. The wide glistening ocean stood before her, stretching miles and miles out a vast horizon. Out there laid a world she had yet to explore. Lands filled with other kinds of spirits and places she wished to see. The view of the sun high in the sky and the water free of ripples soothed her mind. There she stood as a minuscule object at the water line and then her thoughts slowly started to clear as she sad down beside the waters edge. Then did her mind start to relax and drift dreaming of foreign lands, but a familiar place filled her mind.

_Home._

* * *

Hours had passed since Chihiro had left. Mizutohi and Zeniba had been sitting at the coffee table at least for two hours talking about god knows what. On the table sat an array of empty plates and cups from their lunch, as they had been too involved in their lovely conversation to make any move to clean any of it up. Haku, however, had been pacing around in the back of Zeniba's house. He had been yelling at himself if he should go search for Chihiro, or let her come back on her own. He knew her injuries weren't the best. Although, when he went in to see her this morning most of them had already begun to heal. But all he needed was for her to get kidnapped again.

His footsteps became more and more increased, as his emotions built within him. He was a dragon, not immune to these wimpy feelings that were coming over him. That all changed though when he met Chihiro. All those hidden emotions began to show and he knew he could actually care for something. Those five years after she left were the worst. He didn't get to see that cheery smile or chestnut eyes. He had remained at the bathhouse for some time. In his free time he would venture off to one of the boundaries between the spirit and human world, arguing with himself whether or not he should cross it.

Now he laid on the ground with his eyes closed dreaming about how one could could make him feel so...Happy? Cheerful? Wonderful? Lifelike? He couldn't think of an react word that described how he felt. Feelings, he thought. They were such a confusing mess to get bunched up in.

At the moment something clicked in his mind, he felt something, something close. His eyes flickered open to the afternoon sun to see a swirling object flying through the sky.

He couldn't tell what it was exactly, but it was a red sort of color with ringlets of purple around its feet and streaks of black running through its reddened fur. What looked to be like horns curled around the elongated snout and the tail flowed aimlessly in the blue sky. Wind rushed passed it and it flew with a majestic flow that a normal creature could not even attempt to compare. Then he suddenly he realized what creature it was against the afternoon sun, a dragon. But what would a dragon be doing flying a this time or area? Most dragons lived in far foreign lands, alone and tending to the piece of nature they were attached to.

He continued to question the dragon in the sky and sat up staring at it disappeared in the distance, then a memory popped into his mind.

_'There in the corner stood a red furred dragon with golden horns trying to fend off demons. Red specks glistened off the fur coat of the dragon as it whipped it's tail sending a petite demon flying. Another sunk it's teeth into the dragons let causing it to let out a low growl, as it barely stood in it's place. It snarled at the crowd of demons around it as blood leaked out of its snout in between the sharp razor teeth attached to the firm jaw.'_

That dragon, he knew who it was. He had to follow her she wasn't getting away again. He watched the direction she was heading in, and it was towards the direction of the boundary between the human and spirit world. He quickly got up and darted down the dirt path, following the dragon.

"What the hell are you doing Chihiro?" He muttered as he continued to run.

In that instant his human skin started to slip away, and his eyes turned into a deep emerald color, more than they were now. His hair grew and flowed behind him and his fingers started to grow, soon to be replaced by talons. His feet did the same as his shoes disappear and his toes, now claws, sank into the ground every step he took. Then moments later he lurched into the air in an explosion of brilliant white and green scales. Out of the array of scales came a full, muscular dragon with piercing eyes. His tail moved in movements that shouldn't be natural as he lifted into the sky.

_'Why is she so arrogant?' _

He questioned himself as he slowly too became an image in the sky following the dragon; the girl he was worried about.

* * *

A gush of wind rustled the grass as a huge creature placed itself on the ground. A gust of feathers flew into the air revealing a middle sized fifteen year old looking girl. Red scales drafted into the sky above her, as the animal inside her went back into its cage once more. She stood on top of the hill that overlooked the old abandoned town that she not laid eyes on since she was ten. But the girl really wasn't ten or fifteen now. She was somewhere around 6,000 years old with now reconciliation of her lost memory, which she did not want to remember.

That day when she got lost and Haku had rescued her was still vivid in Chihiro's mind. How could she forget the event that changed her life? But it let her to this state; the state of deciding whether or not people would die because of her and if she wanted to remember her past. Thoughts of doubt still floated in this spirits mind and she just couldn't figure it out. She had people around her that cared and that were willing to help, but she didn't want to; however, this whole thing wasn't about her being the strongest spirit, or controlling all of the elements, it was about protecting that people that were going to get hurt.

"I...I don't want to remember or change but...If it's what saves people then maybe I have...Do I want to?" She kept questioning herself as she still stood on the hill.

Her mind just needed time to think, but she could sense someone following her and she sighed.

"Why? Why can't I just be alone for a day? I don't want to talk to anyone right now, or him."

Although, her mind needed someone to talk to, needed someone to help her sort things out. Chihiro really needed someone by her side right now to convince her that remembering her past wouldn't be so bad. Could remembering old memories be that bad? They had to be helpful in same way.

Right?

* * *

**Hey guys! Told ya I would be updating every week now, and I'll probably be updating every Friday, although a chapter can come up earlier. This chapter is on the longer side, but from now on this si going to be around the regular length. I personally like longer chapters and they keep me wanting more, so I thought you guys would like that too. I truly want to thank everyone that has reviewed especially for LeeshyLoo that left me about twelve reviews! I'm so glad you like the story, and I'm finally making my way up to 100 reviews! Woohoo! And another big thanks to the people that favorited and have allowed me to reach 19,100 views as well :) Well I will see you all next week and enjoy the chapter! Any questions just message me and all of you that read Winds of the Lost along with my other Spirited Away fanfic, The Lies and the Heart, it will be updated this weekend. I apologize for the long wait. Well bye again!**

**-Savvyzzzz**


	34. Chapter 35 Rekindling the Comfort

"So how long are they going to take exactly?" Mizutohi mumbled with annoyance.

Mizutohi sat at the table with her head in her hands. She had nothing to do until Haku and Chihiro came back. The next step in this whole process was to unlock Chihiro's memories, but you couldn't do that without Chihiro exactly.

"They'll be back soon Mizutohi. Stop complaing." Said Zeniba as she hovered over the stove making dinner.

_'They'll be back soon Mizutohi. I can sense it. Just give them some more time.' _Said the sullen voice from within her head.

"I know, but why is it taking so long" she whined. Her voice seemed to nag as a child would; however, this wasn't going to make anything go faster.

"Mizutohi you haven't been deprived of your memories, or lost in the Human World for fifteen years. She's nervous and that's expected of Chihiro. Give her some time. For the Gods sake you are usually more adult like compared to this. Please just have some patience. All of us are waiting for her to come back." Zeniba called back to her again.

* * *

There stood a girl with hair rustling in the wind as she stood on top of a hill. Down below that hill was a broken down, shaggy building with peeling red paint. Through that entryway in that building was an entrance to a world this girl used to know, but a world she was never going to go back to because she couldn't. Her memories flooded her mind; ones of her as a child and just an everyday memory. It was like a projector, each one flying by revealing the next. Her heart sank as she suddenly started to feel the dread that it has been two weeks and her spirit was sealed. It was sealed to the point that she could not return to that world she had known no matter how hard she tried. She could surely pass through, but it wouldn't do her any good, since she would die within a few days.

All of this started to weigh down on her; the memories of her childhood, her new life, there was no returning to that world, and she had to remember who she really was. She wasn't ready to move on. In her heart she missed that world, but knew she belonged here. Remembering memories from over the course of 6,000 years was going to be hard and the girl didn't know she could do it.

The girl's legs became numb and she felt something wet cover her cheeks. A hand raised to her cheek to see it was wet with tears and this reminded her of the weak ten year old girl she used to know. At the realization of this she let out a cry and her body slid to the ground. Rasping cries came out of the girl and tears slid down her face. A hand suddenly landed on her shoulder, but she made no notion to respond. She didn't want him near, but she knew she needed him as much as her needed her.

"Chihiro" he whispered. "I'm here."

Haku wrapped an arm around Chihiro and pulled her to him. She continued to sob, but not for the reason of being scared, just the realization that she was never going to go home again and she would have to remember someone who she really wasn't. Her mind seemed to blank as hears streamed down and cries came out of her. Chihiro couldn't hold it in anymore. Holding in everything for the past two weeks didn't seem that hard, however, this situation had brought the wall down. Now all she had to lean against was Haku, and that was all she needed, or all that Chihiro would ever need.

"Haku!" She cried his name as she buried her face into his chest.

"I'm here Chihiro," He whispered once more. "and I don't plan on leaving."

She sank her hands into his shirt and pulled herself even closer to him. She wanted to be near him, she didn't want to be be scared anymore. No matter how brave Chihiro thought she was, that ten year old girl was still within her and the comfort she craved came from the dragon beside her.

Haku held the girl in front of him tightly as she sobbed into him. He whispered words of encouragement and comfort to her. Haku didn't like to see Chihiro like this, nor could he bear it. That cold hearted dragon he thought he was, not a single emotion of care within him, was finally aroused. That care he thought he'd never have was finally coursing him him. He finally knew what this feeling was like and he just wanted to protect Chihiro. Haku would not let her out of his grasp anymore no matter the situation or the circumstances.

Haku now sat on the ground with his arms wrapped around Chihiro as she still cried. Haku knew she needed this, but her cries started to die down.

"Chihiro," he asked "Are you feeling better?"

She just laid there for a moment, then with a shudder she forced his eyes up to his. Chihiro then gave him a slight nod as she wiped her eyes.

"I...I'm...s-sorry ffffor acting...like I did before." She managed to say.

"It doesn't matter now. All that matters is you're okay, that you're alive, and we're here together." Haku replied.

"No it does matter" She argued with clearer words. "I was a total idiot back there. I should of let you take care of me instead of being a bastard about it. Damn my attitude..."

Chihiro sighed as she said this while Haku let out a slight chuckle. Chihiro then looked at him with a strange face.

"What's so funny?" She asked.

"It's just that you said you hate your attitude and stubbornness, but those are the two things that have kept you alive. Chihiro there's no need to weigh down on yourself and anyway, I should have given you more time to be alone considering the situation you just came out of."

"Maybe you're right about my stubbornness and attitude keeping me alive, but I shouldn't have been so rude. I...I just wanted you to stop taking care of me. I wanted to stop bringing trouble and hurt to the people around me. I don't want anyone getting hurt because of me. I was also scared because I knew if I let you take care of me you would also start mentioning the whole plan about me remembering all those memories. I haven't been ready this whole week, since we all discussed it that one night at Zeniba's dinner. It seemed all the others were forcing me into it, and you too a bit, but if remembering all those memories is going to save people's lives, then I will. I just don't want to change. I don't know if the memories will have an affect on me." Chihiro said with a sigh as she rubbed the last of tears away from her face.

Haku gazed down upon Chihiro and met hers. They eyes locked and he just stared at her. The world around them ceased to exist, but Haku had enough sense in him to respond.

"Chihiro they won't change you. There's no need to be scared and the reason everyone stays around you is because they care. The reason _I_ stay around is because _I _care about you, Chihiro. Chihiro I-"

He stopped for a moment as her gaze sank into his. He knew it was the right time to say these words because he was so sure of it. A warm sensation spread across his body and his soul felt as if it was being embraced, being embraced by love. No second thoughts came to mind, he just wanted to say these words and show her that he truly meant them with no hesitation. These past two weeks had strengthened his feeling for her more then he could imagine. He found himself weeping at the fact that she was close to death at moments and so concerned at other moments when she was injured. When he was away from her, Chihiro still found a way into his mind. She never seemed to leave and this feeling was because of his.

Chihiro looked up at him and took a sharp breath. She was in his embrace now, and he was about to say what she knew he would say. She had been waiting since she first saw him to say those words. Those three words that would make her body burst with fireworks and happiness. The position they were in now suddenly caused Chihiro to blush, as she now did realize the situation they were in; however, Haku just smiled at her and took a breath.

"Chihiro, I love you." He replied with a simple, but heavenly tone. They came out so smoothly and he finally said it. The look on Chihiro's face was not excited or overwhelmed, but it was filled with content and comfort. Haku then slowly moved his face towards hers and she lifted her hands up and cupped his face gently. Chihiro searched his face and just as they were inches away from each others face she whispered those words back.

"I love you too, Kohaku. Please stay with me, I need you."

He simply smiled and lowered himself so he was about an inch from her face.

"I won't ever leave you and I need you too little one."

With that Haku pulled her close in his lap and planted his lips upon hers. It was a gentle kiss; one that was warm but sent a comforting sensation through each of them. It was sort of a feeling of relief that they finally knew their true feelings for one another. Chihiro responded to his kiss not a second after and closed her eyes as their noses tickled each others skin. That feeling within each of their souls was finally recognized and Haku could finally say he loved someone. There were definitely going to be hardships along the way for both of them, and they knew that, but they knew now that nothing was going to separate them.

As the kiss started to develop from an adoring love to a need that coursed through each of them, the kiss started to turn into a gaining of need. Chihiro gripped his shirt and pulled Haku close to her as she tried to get as much of him as possible. The warmth that started to radiate from his shirt seemed to cause Chihiro to want Haku even more. The same happened to Haku as her body was pressed to his, and he wrapped his arms around Chihiro, moving her to the soft ground. A shudder ran through Chihiro from how cold the grass was, but Haku's lips took her mind off of that quickly.

Haku bit her lower lip, letting her know he wanted entry. At first Chihiro refused trying to gain control of the kiss, but Haku traced his hands gently along Chihiro's neck, shoulders, and down to her waist. This felt like a hundred angels kissing her body and she let out a gasp, as she had never be touched in such a way before. At this gasp, her mouth opened slightly and Haku slipped his way in. His tongue tickled the roof of her mouth, while his lips danced furiously on her lips. Haku brought his hands back up to her face and cupped it, bringing it as close to his as possible.

A slight moan crept out from the back of Chihiro's throat as she ran her hands through her lover's hair. This made Haku smirk against her lips, then he pulled away and traced kisses along her neck as his hands danced over her body.

"Haku." She whispered into the wind, as her breath was quickening more then she had ever expected.

"You're mine Chihiro." He said with a growl. "No one is ever going to take you away from me. No one. Ever."

"I...know that." She said with a sigh as her hands started to trace down his chest; exploring the lean and toned muscles underneath his thin fabric.

He, never have been touched like this, moaned as well which made him kis Chihiro even harder. Her hands trached his chest down to his abdominal muscles then back up, slowly tracing lightly over his skin. She smirked at his facial expression and reaction to her touch. Suddenly she let out a slight chuckle and Haku's eyes snapped open. He then pulled away a bit and gazed upon Chihiro's lovely face.

"What's so funny, Chihiro?" He said with confusion.

"Your face. You look like your in heaven." She traced her hand down his chest again, but all he did was stare at her face. He didn't tear his eyes away and Chihiro felt him shudder a bit as she came back up.

"It's what you do to me little one, but you make me feel as if I am weak. I have never let anyone get this 'touchy' with me. A dragon isn't used to this sort of nature."

She smirked at his comment.

"I still have yet to learn about our kind. You should teach me about our kind one day, help me understand what that 'dragon nature' is."

He smiled and brought his lips closer to her once more.

"I can teach you now if you like." He said with a voice of lust and she smiled.

They once again engaged in a dance of love and embrace. Never before had each of them felt this way, or expressed a sort of love for anyone. In the late afternoon sun they both looked perfect as shadows cast themselves upon them. The dance increased as these two dancers began to furiously battle each other, but soon lust filled their mind causing both of them to lose control. Hands glided and kisses were placed. Breaths were fast paced and eyes scanned each others body. A warmth covered each of them that enveloped them like a warm blanket does to a small child.

Haku's hand started to get into a frenzy. With no realization of what he was doing, his hands started to lift Chihiro's shirt. Chihiro's hands suddenly came undone from his neck and grabbed his. Chihiro knew where this was going to go, and they were not about to engage in a very intamite dance in the open world. Haku looked upon Chihiro's face for an explaination at the suddenly halt of pleasure.

"What's wrong, Chihiro?"

"Haku. Did you not just see what you were doing?"

"I was just kissing you and-" He stopped for a moment and realized what she was talking about.

"And you were about to lift my shirt Haku. Haku I trust you with all my heart, and have no regrets but I don't want this going too far."

"It wasn't going far and I wasn't going to hurt you." He smiled soothingly towards her.

"I know but if I let that continue each of us would probably end up...you know...unclothed, should I say?"

Chihiro blushed deeply upon saying this. She truly knew that if she let that continue, and Haku darted his eyes away from her face for a moment.

"So you don't trust me then? Hmmm?" He asked with a sly smile and she rolled her eyes at him.

"I am not going to let it go that far since we are clearly out in the middle of a field in the open air, you idiot." She said giving him a light punch on the shoulder.

He kissed Chihiro once more then got himself off her and placed his body beside hers. Haku looked at Chihiro from the corner of his eye and smiled, knowing that she was a bit better. Chihiro sat up brushing herself off.

"I'm not saying anything like this is going to occur soon, since I don't want to push you into doing anything but what's the problem with doing _it_ out in the open exactly? There's probably tons of other spirits losing their minds right now. So it can't be that bad, right?" He said with a slight chuckle knowing he was making her blush.

"Haku!" She yelled. "Keep your little trap closed before I close it for you." Her face was burning red as she finished yelling at him. He then got up and offered the girl a hand. She took it willingly and got up to see him laughing once again.

"So?" He said to her. "Do you want to take a fly to clear your mind and we can talk about what's bothering you still? I can sense there's still something bothering you, but I do not wish to read your mind, so it is your choice to enlighten me or not."

She sighed and looked at Haku, contemplating with herself if she wanted to tell him. Of course the answer was yes. She trusted him more than anyone else she had probably known, and that episode before made her realized she would never want to be with anyone else. If it ever came down to the point where everyone else left her side, she knew Haku would be there. She only remembered the last fifteen years of her human life, and those were 15 more to add the list of the 6,000 years she had no clue about.

Remembering was the next step of her journey, and being ready to remember all those was going to be hard but she knew she had caring people at her side. She didn't know what the future held, or what was going to come. All Chihiro knew was that over the next few days her vision on life and her powers were going to become drastically different. Knowledge she didn't know about would be opened up to her mind, and rush in like a blocked river being let free. All the sadness of home and wariness was gone. The tears for those times were long past and no more should be shed for them.

As Chihiro looked over to Haku, who still simply waited for an answer, she gave him a smile; one that was warm and full of comfort. She turned her head to look over the grass field as it shown with the afternoon sun. The sun was a few hours away from setting, nature getting its casting shadows from the dimming rays. A gust of wind blew through and the grass danced gracefully along with it. A sigh slipped from Chihiro's mouth and the wind lifted her hair.

"Haku," She simply stated. "There's nothing bothering me at the moment. I think I'm ready to regain my lost memories, but there's still a curious part of me that wonders what I was those years ago, in your eyes. How I acted, who I was, what I did." She turned her head to look into his emerald eyes. "Tell me my life story, through your eyes, Haku."

He looked at her, with a bit of widened eyes due to the fact that's he hadn't expected that to come out of her.

"Chihiro I-I don't even know where to start."

"Start with all of us being created. But first-"

With that her body glowed softly then erupted into feathers. They swirled into the afternoon sky as an ancient creature formed. Its claws seeped into the ground and its eyes pierced the boy standing next to her.

'_Let's talk about this while flying. You did suggest this some time ago, did you not?'_

Haku looked at the dragon before him and just stared. Then he let out a little smile and chuckled.

"Oh, how wise you sound Chihiro. Yes, I did suggest that, so if it's what you wish then we can."

_'Then hurry up slow poke.' _

She then snorted and turned towards the sky.

_'Life waits for no one, Haku.'_

With that she lifted into the air to be carried off by the wind. Her body swirled up into the blue sky, as if she was an angel entering the gates of heaven. All Haku could do was look up at her and simply smile. He had no regrets about his life and he could truly said he loved Chihiro now.

Within the same movements Haku followed after Chihiro, feathers spiraling up into the air. Through the confines of the feathers burst a dragon of emerald and white. He darted into the sky as well, and he could up to Chihiro. Both of them flew side by side letting the air rush past them.

_'So shall we start?'_ Chihiro said with her voice echoing in Haku's mind.

_'Yes. So many years ago-"_

* * *

_**Hey guys! Here's the next chapter and I hope you all truly enjoy your weekend. Thank you for everyone that has reviewed! I am finally over 100 views and I just want to thank everyone again! I'd never thought I'd get to 100 reviews, but I have! :)**  
_

_**So I'll be updating next Friday ;) Hope you guys enjoy the rest of the week. Next chapter will have to do with Chihiro starting to regain her memories. Well peace out for now! Bye!**_


	35. Chapter 36 Forgotten Peace

"Okami!" Hana screamed from her room. Her sandwich that had been lying on her table several minutes ago was now gone, and considering the only one in the whole hotel that was willing to bother her was Okami.

"What Hana?" His voice rang from downstairs.

"Where the hell did my food go?"

Soon following after her question a sly chuckle emitted from the foot of the stairs.

"How would I know my darling? I have no interest in some tasty food just lying around do I?"

Her face represented the aggravation that was riding through her. She grimaced and walked back to her room because any further conversation with Okami would just get her more frustrated. Hana's feet dragged along the floor, as her body seemed to be such a heavy weight on her. Ever since they left Zeniba's house yesterday, she had been feeling down, for a reason that was unknown. She wasn't in the mood for anyone, but Chihiro, all cut up and bleeding kept appearing in the young spirits mind.

There wasn't a great sense of friendliness or pleasure towards that girl for she did hold the heart of the one she loved. Hana and Chihiro had known Haku for the same amount of time, but of course he would fall in love with Chihiro; the almighty powerful spirit who could control and do just about everything. Ever since Chihiro had come from from her state of "dormancy" Haku had just been drawn to her. Drawn to her for a reason that Hana couldn't quite understand.

However, on the other hand, Hana did feel bad for Chihiro. The way she was cut up and attacked yesterday was something no one should have to go through; although, they were protectors of the spirit world and all, that scene was just a bit to far. It was like that because Kaze was the one who was causing all of this, one of them, a former friend, now a foe. A lot had changed in the past two weeks and Hana was just disturbed by it. The Spirit World had been fairly quiet for the past fifteen years, while some of them had split up and went their ways, like Haku who was drowned in a pool of sorrow had himself captured by that witch. She soon stole his name, and by coincidence, perhaps, a girl came along known as Chihiro and gave him his name back. He then had his mind set on that girl, completely forgetting about Rapisu because of the odd attraction he has towards her. He felt as if he knew the girl so well, not because of the fact that he had saved her when she was young.

Now, five years later, it is revealed that, that girl was the girl he had loved from the very beginning. The one who had been with him since they were all created and the one who stole Haku from Hana. She did have a chance, a slight chance before that girl arrived, but it all went down the drain as soon as his eyes were laid on Chihiro's.

"Someone seems to be daydreaming aren't they?" said a voice from the door.

Hana looked up to see a slim figure, toned figure with purple hair leaning against the frame of the door. Hana at this rolled her eyes and crosses her arms.

"What do you want Okami? I asked if you took my food and you said no, so there is no business for you around here."

"It is my business if the little princess is daydreaming, and besides you have been completely ignoring everyone around you. You mind telling me what's up?"

She looked up from where she was sitting to see a content face, not one that was smiling or bawling. She rolled her eyes and leaned back on the bed to stare at the ceiling.

"And remind me again, why would I ever tell you anything?" Hana simply stated.

"Because I'm willing to listen."

"Just get out Okami, you wouldn't understand in the first place." At that Okami let out a small chuckle. "What's so funny?"

"You think I don't know what's it's like to watch the one you love fall in love with someone else?"

* * *

The two dragons aimlessly flew through the sky; feathers gliding through the air and claws tucked under their chests.

_'And so, in conclusion we are here. There are six of us, and another doomed to a horrible fate. You always seemed to be the outgoing one, Chihiro. Never complained or babbled, but you did have your moments.'_

_'Some moments I wish not to remember' _said the dragon with a sigh.

_'Some of them were rather interesting and hilarious if I must say' _said the dragon not seeing the glare from the dragon beside him but he continued. '_Some showed your true power, while other just displayed how your anger could just not be controlled.'_

_'That makes me feel great Haku.'_

_'Well you said you wanted to know about your past from my view and I am telling you. But to me you are still beautiful and courageous.'_

_'That makes it all the better.'_

At the Haku arched himself and flew over Chihiro. She looked up in confusion and wondered what he was doing, but she decided not to question it. He just continued to fly around Chihiro in circles like he was bored.

'_Bored?' _she asked.

_'No, I'm just trying to annoy you.'_

Chihiro rolled her eyes at this and flew ahead leaving Haku alone. He then chuckled and caught up to her. They decided it was time back considering Chihiro had been gone for most of the day and that Haku had followed her. Nightfall was upon them both and Zeniba was probably awaiting them back at her house along with Mizutohi. They, or Chihiro mostly, had left abruptly, considering at the moment she hated Mizutohi's guts. They needed to head back so they could rest and get started on what was most important; Chihiro regaining her memories.

Both dragons soared through the twilight sky and twisted in and out of the clouds, gaining speed and altitude then throwing themselves down, free falling towards the earth as the air raced past them. They enjoyed the thrill of just letting go of their body and letting the wind guide them. Nature carried these two dragons along as they soared side by side, and clouds whisked past them as if the wings of angels surrounded them.

They soon engaged in a race to see who could back to Zeniba's house first. Glares and sneaked glances were exchanged as one another pushed past whisking thorough the air. Scales glinted against the rising moon and their manes tousled past their faces.

_'I'm going to kick your butt, Haku.'_

_'In your dreams Chihiro,' _said Haku as a slight chuckle rasped through his chest. This just caused Chihiro just to push herself even more, as she threw her body forward once more, and soon the both of them were gliding over the waters edge. The moon glistened off the water onto their scales, and broken figures of themselves could be seen in the water below them. A silent ripple ran through the vast ocean as the two glided over it's boundary, soon to arrive back at Zeniba's house.

A few minutes later two dragons gracefully touched down in front of Zeniba's house. Soon to follow that an array of feathers burst into the air leaving two spirits laughing. They exchanged glances with each other as their laughter rung through the air. Those few minutes before they touched down had been consisted of a lot of pushing, shoving, tail nipping, and smacking; however, these two spirits thought of those actions as hilarious.

"I guess it's a tie," said Chihiro as she finally settled down.

"A tie it is, as sadly as it is to admit." The emerald eyed spirit smired and brushed off his clothes. He then looked up again to meet Chihiro's face and an awkward silence fell between them. They looked at each thinking about what to do next and Chihiro was the first to break the silence.

"Uh...Should we head inside now?"

"Yeah, that would be a good idea," agreed Haku and they both wandered up to Zeniba's door. Just as he was about to open the door it swung open.

"You're alive!" screamed a voice, but before Haku could react he was tackled to the ground. Haku looked up to see Kokatsuna's face looming over his, a little to close to be precise. As Haku meet Kokatsuna's eyes he then realized just how close his face was, and his face abrupted in a blush. Haku's hands furiously tried pushing Kokatsuna off, but Kokatsuna caught him in a death grip. "You're not escaping me now! I can't believe you are alive Haku!"

As Kokatsuna continued to hug Haku, while choking him of course, Chihiro just stood there chuckling. She glanced up at the doorway to see the rest of the crew standing, awed by Kokatsuna's display. Although, they did start laughing sooner or later.

"Nice to see you back, Chihiro." called a voice from inside. Chihiro caught the person who spoke and saw it was Zeniba. Chihiro replied with a slight nod and her face flushed a bit. As if reading Chihiro's mind, she spoke. "Child, there's no need to be ashamed of what happened. We understand you were under a great amount of pressure. We just wanted you to be safe."

Chihiro smiled at how everyone cared and looking over at Okami and Hana who stood their watching the little hugging display. As if sensing someone was watching them, they both looked up to meet Chihiro's eyes. A smile spread upon Okami's face and he walked over to Chihiro. Before she could utter another word his arms wrapped around her and pulled her into an embrace. The sudden action brought some surprise to Chihiro's face, but she soon returned the embrace. She hadn't had to spend time with him a lot since she arrived here. She missed hanging with Okami back in the human world, they were about the best of friends back then; however, each of them not knowing who the other was.

"I'm glad you're safe Chihiro," Okami mumbled into Chihiro's ear. "It's so good to see you."

As if surprised by what he said all Chihiro could do was mutter in agreement. They both realeased each other soon after and turned to see Haku had finally freed himself from Kokatsuna. Just as Chihiro was about to ask something a voice entered her mind.

_'Child, are you ready to see your lost past? I know the dragon has told you of your past through his eyes, I can sense it, but there's a lot more then meets the eye.'_

* * *

**_I really have no excuse why I haven't updated except for horrible writer's block and foot surgery. In the meantime though, I have typed up a couple of chapters. This one has been split into two parts and the other part will be up Saturday. Sorry for the long wait and hope you enjoy the chapter :) Off to update The Lies and the Heart and my Legend of Korra story._**


	36. Chapter 37 Steps, Awkward Moments, Peace

"Uh...Have we met before?" said Chihiro out loud questionably. She swear she heard a voice, but it didn't sound like anyone she knew. She looked at the others to them looking at her in confusion. Chihiro turned away from them and walked into the house trying to see if there was someone in there. As her eyes searched the room she found Mizutohi getting up from the table. Chihiro's eyes glazed over the body of the water and fire spirit.

_'What's she doing in here?' _Chihiro thought.

_'Child,'_ the voice called again._ 'We haven't had a proper meeting have we? Sorry for confusing you. I know it's weird to have a random voice pop into your head and start asking you questions. I have heard of you for quite a long time and you're exactly as I pictured. A strong, beautiful, willing spirit.'_

Chihiro looked around the room again then back at Mizutohi who was now standing a few feet away from her. She couldn't pick out where the voice was coming from. She thought she might be starting to go crazy.

"Mizutohi do you he-"

"Do you mind not talking anymore? I can clearly hear you through my head and the girl can hear you as well. Just introduce yourself for the God's sake. No one is going to magically appear out of nowhere and kidnap you." Mizutohi suddenly lashed out those words cutting Chihiro off in the process. Chihiro stared in confusion.

"Umm...Are you okay, Mizutohi?"

Mizutohi ran a hand through her and and made eye contact with Chihiro.

"Sorry Rapi- I mean Chihiro. The Winds of Memories apparently is breaking my mind apart!" Mizutohi let out a sigh, but before she could speak again her hand lit up. "Finally it's going to actually introduce itself."

"I'm confused. The Winds of Memories? Isn't it an object or something?"

_'First of all,' _a voice boomed. _'There's no need to be so rude young one. I'm not breaking your mind apart and you should be proud that I chose you to dwell in. It's not like I just trust anyone with myself! Second, Chihiro I am not an object nor an it. I'm a spirit, a very weak one rather in physical speculation because of something that happened long ago, but certainly not an it. And finally I can introduce myself.'_

Mizutohi's hand continued to glow and she let out a growl, but forced herself to remain calm.

"I was not trying to be rude. I just find it a little annoying when a spirit is constantly asking questions in my head."

_'Questions are the key to understanding the universe," _said the Winds of Memories. As the spirit said that Mizutohi's hand showed even brighter and an essence seemed to flow out of it. After a few moments, a ball of bright light floated in front of the two. _'I, child, and the Winds of Memories. Pleasure to meet you.'_

"Oh," Chihiro replied nervously. "Nice to meet you too."

"Oh look! cried a voice. "It's a shiny floating ball! Can I touch it!" Mizutohi, Chihiro, and the spirit turned to see Kokatsuna dash into the room with glee.

_'You lay a finger on me you ancient bird and I'll pluck your feathers from you.'_

Kokatsuna suddenly stopped right in front of the Winds of Memories and stared. He then looked down at himself and shrugged.

"First of all I'm not in my spirit form and the floating ball can talk?" asked Kokatsuna with a goofy grin.

"It's the Winds of Memories you idiot," said a voice that was followed by a hand smacking Kokatsuna in the back of the head.

"Hey! What was that for?!" Kokatsuna turned around to see Okami standing there along with Haku, Zeniba, Chirashi, Hana, and No Face.

"For being stupid." said Okami.

"Stop disrespecting other spirits" called Chirashi.

Kokatsuna sighed and apologized to the Winds of Memories and backed away. After that Chihiro was informed about the Winds of Memories and how the spirit could help her regain all her memories. That her past would finally be revealed to her, good and bad. The other watched as Zeniba conversed between the Winds of Memories and Chihiro, although Haku stood at Chihiro's side with a hand on her shoulder.

"So you'll be able to help unlock all of my memories?"

'_Yes, child but I must ask a favor of you in return.'_

Zeniba, Haku and Chihiro eyed the Winds of Memories in confusion. Chihiro didn't understand how she could possibly help the Winds of Memories with anything. The powers she had were still unknown to her, most of them at least, but maybe her memories could help her. At this Haku removed his hand from Chihiro's shoulder and wrapped it around her waist. He wanted her close to him no matter what and Chihiro didn't seem to pull away when he did this. He knew she didn't want to be treated like a baby, but her safety was his concern. He was also curious about what favor the Winds of Memories could possibly want.

"I'll shall help you if I can, but what kind of favor are you asking?" Chihiro asked nervously.

"Does this favor include her using her power because she's not so fluent in those at the moment?" Haku asked from beside Chihiro.

_"_Be careful of what favors you accept Chihiro. I know we can trust the Winds of Memories, but accepting favors in the Spirit World is not a simple thing to do," voiced Zeniba.

_'I shall not entitle the girl to a damned eternity if she fails to complete my favor. I just ask a simple request of her powers, and she will be able to use this power once I restore her memories. She'll remember how it feels, how it flows within her, but it seems she has an idea of the power I'm asking of her. Child have you heard of the internal fire you have within you?_'

_"_I know of the internal fire. Supposedly it's the strongest power in the Spirit World? When Kaze captured me he started speaking of it and said something like it can unite spirits and anything together. Like their souls with another object or soul." said Chihiro.

_'Yes. Yes that power within you is stronger, and about the strongest power, but not because of it's strength, but what it can do. You child are still a floating soul of human and spirit. You have free will others want, and the closest us spirits can get to that is being connected with the one this that holds us down to this world. I still have some purpose and am remembered by a few to have my spirit thrive; however, I wish to be reunited with the one thing I lost. I haven't given someone this memories back in more then a good 5,000 years. I'm slowing fading, and I ask of you, that when I give you back your memories that you use your power to simply bind me and the thing I lost back together. So that when the years continue to pass I won't slowly fade and die. I wish to be apart of a world once more where I can thrive and be of use. You are the only one with the power to bind others together and I ask of you that you do that favor for me.'_

The spirit's voice echoed throughout every single head in that room. Chirashi, No Face, Mizutohi, Haku, Kokatsuna, Hana, Okami, Zeniba, and Chihiro all heard the voice and stared at the ball of light with curious eyes. Every single spirit in that room knew what Chihiro's power was capable of, except Chihiro of course, but this was a sort of heavenly power that just seemed not to be real.

"Wait she can unite spirits to the thing that binds them to the Spirit World. Like it can bind a spirit to a river or another spirit? Or unite a spirit with a human, so they can thrive and have the free will all of us crave?" asked Okami with a slightly curious and nervous voice.

"She can do that? I thought the internal fire was a special power, but nothing like that." said Chirashi.

"That's awesome!" screamed Kokatsuna, but he quickly quieted himself since he gained odd staes from certain people in he room.

"She can keep spirits from dying? That's impossible. I knew the internal fire had great power, but that kind of power the God's wouldn't dare to give out to just anyone." said Hana with a tinge of anger in her voice. "How could the God's just give a power like that to any spirit, even if it is one of us. A power like that can be extremely dangerous. Chihiro for goodness sake doesn't even know how to use any of her powers!"

Hana's voice echoed through the room and everyone turned to stare at her. Her jealously towards Chihiro was just growing by the moment, and she had trouble holding it in anymore. From hold that girl holding the heart of the man she loved to having powers that were beyond any of their grasps. It just wasn't right to Hana at all. She quickly shut her mouth and her face turn a bit red realizing what she has just done. Thinking and holding grudges was one thing, but voicing them right at the person was another.

Hana interrupted Haku with that outburst and he and Chihiro just stared at her. Everyone in the room, matter of fact, was confused all the sudden and just looked at her with glaring eyes. The only one who truly knew what she was going through was Okami, and he even stood there stunned. He knew Hana felt jealously towards Chihiro, but exploding out like this, with everyone around, wasn't something she would normally do. Okami guessed Hana just couldn't bottle it up anymore. As he looked at Hana he saw her face slowly turn red and back away as the eyes in the room looked at her. He felt a pull within him to get her out of there so she wouldn't get herself involved anymore then she already was.

"What Hana meant is that it's quite surprising that Chihiro can do that. Yeah...Umm...I have to show Hana that thing. You know what we discussed earlier, right Hana? Come on." Okami quickly grabbed her hand and yanked her out from the crowd she was surrounded by. Hana looked up at Okami with a surprised face.

"What are y-" Hana started to say, but Okami quickly delivered her a harsh glare. The glare was one Hana instantly read and kept her mouth shut as Okami dragged her out the door.

Chihiro just stared at the door as it closed behind Hana and Okami. That sudden outburst set her into a trance of silence, and the grip around her waist from Haku tightened. Chihiro could clearly see the anger in Hana's eyes, but she couldn't pinpoint why. That girl had been giving her troubles ever since she had arrived more then a week ago. The harsh feeling that Hana had in her head, was visible to Chihiro for some reason through her body language. The thought of the anger Hana had towards her didn't quite click in her mind.

"That girl is getting on my nerves," hissed Haku next to Chihiro's ears; however, all Chihiro could do was continue to stare at the door.

Everyone else was in a trance as well, like Chihiro, but Zeniba broke the silence.

"Excuse that, but Chihiro do you agree to unite the Winds of Memories with the thing it lost?"

Chihiro slowly fixed her attention to her 'grandmother' on the other side of the room, then spared a glance at the Winds of Memories just floating there. Her brain slowly fixated itself on the witches words and she diligently gave a nod.

"I'll aid the Winds of Memories and-" she said as she faced the Winds of Memories. "I accept your favor."

_'Good child. Now shall we get you ready to relieve you of that ugly barrier you have holding back your memories?'_

* * *

Okami dragged Hana across Zeniba's yard to out in front of the overhanging entryway. Hana stumbled as she was pulled along and looked at Okami with total confusion. She barley noticed Okami let go of her hand and look her in the eyes.

"What was with that whole episode back there?" he spit out. "You just willingly ramble on, while screaming right in front of everyone. I know it's hard to believe what she can do, and the anger you have towards her for various reasons, but really was that even ne-" he stopped speaking just as he notcied Hana looking glancing off into the distance. Her eyes didn't dare look at him. They didn't even meet his the whole two minutes he had her outside.

"Do you hear me Hana?" asked Okami.

_Still she didn't answer._

"Hana...look at me."

_Silence continued to shroud both of them._

"Hana, answer me for the God's sake!"

_No reply came._

"Hana!" he screamed.

"It's not fair," she whispered.

"What are you talking about. Are you talking about Chihiro and Haku being together? I know how it feels having the one you love taken away. I loved Chihiro ever since we came into being. I just had a sudden surge towards her, but you don't see me yelling at like that. It wasn't meant for me to be with Chihiro and it wasn't meant for you to be with Haku. I know you know that, but why, just why, do you keep doing this. I hate seeing this constant yelling. You locking yourself up in a room not talking to anyone. You're starting to worry me, Hana." As Okami said that Hana's eyes slowly trailed up into his.

When Okami met Hana's eyes, the look in them is what startled him the most. There was no anger, sorrow, or regret. There was nothing. No trace of emotion within them at all. Her eyes were just dull. He looked into them and searched for some emotion to be contained in there. After a few seconds he finally found an emotion in her eyes.

_Defeat..._

He continued to search her eyes, and couldn't believe what he was seeing. He could sense it in her aura around her as well. Hana feeling defeated? That was something that rarely ever happened. No matter the situation, Okami had always seen Hana pull through even through the worse times.

"Will you quit looking into my eyes," she muttered.

"Oh...Uh sorry." Okami replied quickly and looked away, but turned back. He wasn't going to just leave it at that. "Do you feel defeated? I can see and sense it around you."

"You noticed," she replied sarcastically.

"Of course I noticed. Why?"

"Why what?" Hana looked at him with a confused face.

"Why are you giving up? There's others out there for you Hana. I know it's hard to let go, but those two are clearly not going to let go of each other anytime soon."

"I know. I know what you said is true. It's just hard to see them like that and why does she get all the powers? Why does she get to be all strong and have every single power imaginable. It's not fair."

Okami just sighed and grabbed Hana's shoulders, steering her body to face him. The strong sudden grip caused Hana's body to tense up. She hadn't ever had this kind of conversation with Okami, let alone any contact. Although, this suddenly touch of his was making her feel odd. It sent a slight, just a slight wave through her. It was something she knew, but pushed it away.

"Hana you want to know why she has all of that? It's because she's Chihiro and you are Hana. You two are totally different spirits. Would it make sense if both of you were exactly the same?"

"No...but-"

"There's no but's. You are Hana; spirit of nature and light. You are special in your own way, as well as powerful. Stop doubting yourself and feeling jealous towards others. Please Hana, just accept yourself the way you are. There wouldn't be any fun in life if you were any different." As he finished saying this he put on a soft smile and dropped his hands down to hers and grasped them. He then raised them in front of her face. "These hands are powerful. They are powerful in ways Chihiro can't comprehend. Accept yourself Hana...Please."

All the spirit of nature could do was stare at Okami with large eyes, that started to reflect a different type of emotion. Hana slowly glanced down at Okami holding her hands then looked at his face. He was supporting her. The stubborn, joking, good natured spirit was supporting the stubborn nature spirit. She still couldn't get it through her mind. Okami was supporting and encouraging _her. _That continued odd feeling was still lurking in her, but all of Hana's attention went into just giving Okami a nod.

As he saw this a smile drew across his face, and he could feel her aura change. At this he wrapped his arms around her and pulled Hana in an awkward hug.

"Then don't change."

"I'll try not to and you know this is kind of awkward right?" said Hana with a laugh.

"You know you are ruining a rare moment, Hana. Don't expect this to happen again."

"Oh I won't." said Hana pulling away from Okami.

"Hey you're not getting away yet." he said as he pulled her back in. "Stop ruining the moment like I said."

"Wha!" screamed Hana as she slammed into Okami's chest. "What was that for?!" she cried.

Except instead of replying to her, all Okami did was smirk and look up at the sky. He liked teasing and seeing Hana smile. Even though Hana was stubborn as moments and annoying at others, Okami was glad to have her as a friend. Though others would look down on her, Okami would always make her smile. That was his purpose at this moment and he was going to let it go to waste.

* * *

**Okay, I know I said I would update on Saturday, but my stupid computer made my other chapters magically disappear -_- I hate technology. I'm busy typing the chapters that got lost for this story and I promise that I'll have another chapter up by tomorrow night at least. Some reviews would be nice :) I know I have been getting a good amount of people favoriting and alerting this story. Just leave some feedback, and anonymous reviews are allowed. Doesn't take that long and the lovely review button is waiting for you at the bottom. Pllllllllleeeeeeeaaaasssssss seeeee rrrreeeeeevvvvvviiiiiiiieeee eeew! Want to know how I'm doing! But truly thank you for everyone that has supported this story. Well see ya tomorrow, since I'm tired. Well hopping off to bed now because of my crutches. See ya soon! BYE!**


	37. Chapter 38 Crashing Waves of the Past

Chihiro noticed Okami and Hana still hadn't returned inside. It seemed that twenty minutes had passed since that incident and there was no sign of either of them. She didn't hate Hana at all, but that outburst just confused her even more. Chihiro could sense the aura around Hana slightly, and it was filled with something like jealously and angst. Was it because Hana was jealous of her power? She she do something years ago, so that Hana still hates her now? Chihiro knew that she, herself, wasn't the type to make others angry easily. These thoughts kept banging around in her mind, but soon she drifted back into the room where everyone was surrounding her.

They had set her up at the table, sitting in a chair, while the Winds of Memories gracefully floated over the table. The Winds of Memories had explained the process in a few simple sentences. The turnout of relieving her memories wasn't something to be determined yet because it was different for each spirit; however, removing that nasty barrier the God' placed upon her was another subject.

The Winds of Memories explained that the process would be uncomfortable because it was something placed upon her by heavenly beings. The removal of it was not going to be easy and it would cause Chihiro some discomfort. Once the barrier was removed, her memories would flow back into her head. It would be like a waterfall overflowing into a tiny hole. It would pour through her mind, and all of them didn't know if it was going to be to much for Chihiro.

No matter what spirit this was, this kind of process was dangerous. The outcome was truly unknown, but everyone was willing to aid in this. Zeniba was obviously willing to help her granddaughter as well, since she agreed to use her powers to lessen the pain and the speed of which her memories would flow into Chihiro's mind.

Chihiro looked around the room to see Haku with a gentle smile kneeling next to her, Zeniba on the other side of her flexing her old bony fingers, Chirashi smiling at her, Kokatsuna with the same goofy smile, and No Face on the other side of the room just lightly staring. As she saw this, the thin line on her face turned upward. Chihiro was truly happy because of all the support she has, especially from Haku. She didn't know if she would be here without him. All his support and being there for her was what she needed. Also the way he explained her past through his eyes, helped greatly as well; however, it was very detailed from her perspective. It was mostly what he felt and what Haku had gone through with her.

"Are you ready, Chihiro?" called Zeniba from Chihiro's right.

Before answering Chihiro gave one more scan of the room. Meeting each and every pair of eyes and thanking them with a big smile. She then met Zeniba's eyes and gave a slight nod.

"I am ready. I just want to thank everyone for sticking by me and whatever happens after this, my view won't change of each of you. Sure I may have new knowledge on each of you, and there may be events and tragedies I don't understand, but I know you all with help me get through it." With that everyone else nodded and Haku squeezed her shoulder lightly.

"If you need anything Chihiro, I'm right here, okay? I don't want to see you in pain, but if there is an instant where it's too much, tell me. Please promise me you will." Haku looked down on her with pleading eyes. He didn't want to see her in pain anymore. He just couldn't.

As much as Chihiro wanted to say she would tell him, she just couldn't. It was going to be painful to get these memories back but she agreed to it. This was the next step in being able to help save the Spirit World as well as the Human. Her minute pain wasn't important as the millions of people and spirits out there. It was time to let that little 10 yeard old human go, and finally accept that she was a spirit. Chihiro was here two weeks now, and drowning anymore in her useless thoughts wasn't going to get her anywhere. It was time to move forward.

"Haku I...I'm sorry, but I have to go through with this no matter what. There's others out there that will endure more then I will if I don't take a short amount of time to regain my memories. There's a bigger world out there, and I'd rather go through that pain now to protect everyone out there. You made me see there are others who care and how to look straight into fears eye. I'm ready to do this and there's nothing that's going to make me back out. I'm sorry Haku, but I'm going through with it no matter what." Chihiro looked into Haku's eyes as she said this.

Haku met Chihiro's eyes and was kind of taken aback by what she had said. He knew Chihiro was going through this, but he didn't expect a flat out answer like that. He missed the little human girl he knew that was fading away. She was being replaced by that 5,000 year old spirit they all knew to well. One thing wouldn't change though, he loved her and she loved him. He wouldn't let anything change that. With a sigh, he smiled and pulled Chihiro into a tight embrace.

"If that's what you want, then I'll be right here beside you. Although, if you start calling out in pain, or anything is too much, I will make it stop. I won't let anyone go through with hurting you, no matter what reason it is," he said whispering into Chihiro's ear as he pulled away and let her sit down. At that she solemly smiled and looked towards the Winds of Memories.

"I'm ready to get started," said Chihiro.

_'Then we shall begin child.' _said a lone voice.

* * *

Everything around Chihiro was black.

_Just utter blackness._

She guessed she was in some sort of unconscious state, but she could clearly sense everyone else around her. Chihiro remembered the Winds of Memories coming towards her, then it landed in her hands that laid on the table. It then lit up in a soft glow and Chihiro felt some sort of essence flowing through her.

_'Keep still young one. Everything is going to go black. You are still awake. and your eyes are closed, but you'll still sense everything. What you start to see in the blackness is my power working to break down that barrier.' _Chihiro remembered that voice echoing in her mind before her eyes drifted closed and she slipped away from reality a bit.

Mashed up words flowed into Chihiro's ears, but she didn't pay mind to them. As the blackness continued to settle she finally saw a light essence flowing around her into some depth. She forced herself to concentrate on that flowing essence as it started to go against some purple, black mass at what seemed to be the beginning of something.

'_Chihiro, what you are seeing now is the barrier I told you about. That light essence is my power flowing against. I should be able to break it, but it might be some time. As I break into it you will hear a cracking sound, or feel it through your body. The a strange sensation will flow over you. Don't push it away when it comes, accept it. Once this barrier is broken completely memories will come flowing into your mind in a rush. It will be painful to gather all of them at once, so don't concentrate on a single memory because it will hold up the others wanting to come through. Just watch, like it was a movie. Like it was short clips flashing before a screen.'_

As that voice echoed through her head she tried to answer in agreement, bu she didn't know how. She tried thinking, but her thoughts weren't going through.

_'Child I know you heard and understand me. Don't push any thoughts now. Just empty your mind and relax. '_

As soon as that voice entered her mind, Chihiro put all he thoughts at ease. She felt her body sink a bit lower into the chair and reality seemed to sway a bit. Her conscious seemed to let go of it's handle on reality. She felt it sway between the voices calling out to her and the silence of the flowing essence in the blackness. Chihro cut that last string and let herself completely sink into that blackness, while letting go of all her thoughts.

* * *

Haku stared at Chihiro and the moment her body started to sink deeper into the chair, the more stiff his body became. His worry for her perked as he watched her body. As he continued watching he saw her body settle more and more into the chair. He realized she was relaxing and letting go. Chihiro's finally gave out completely and sank out of the chair completely, but Haku caught her as she did so. His eyes scanned over her and Haku forced himself to keep a calm composure. The Winds of Memories still floated in her hands, that were surprising still cupped together.

"How long is this going to take place, Zeniba?" Haku looked up at Zeniba was a curious and worried look.

"It depends how hard it is to break the barrier Chihiro has in her conscious. This is normal of her body to be like, but it won't be like this for long. Haku, I ask, please, just please, don't freak and fret when she starts showing pain. It's not easy for me to watch this as well," said Zeniba with Haku's same look.

"I am worried for her safety, but I'm also afraid of what she'll remember. She already thinks I killed her in her past life, and I know she still feels a bit wary towards me, but she knows there's something wrong there. I just don't want her to find out things that will hurt her mind now and what she will think in the future," Haku said quietly. The response that came next wasn't from Zeniba, it was from Chirashi.

"We're all worried about her Haku, and we know you didn't kill her. I was the others fault, but think of it like this. When Chihiro's memories are finally stabilized within her, all she'll be is the same Chihiro with more knowledge. She won't change, trust me. That little girl you used to know, and the girl Okami used to know will still be there. Chihiro will just be smarter, more powerful, and aware."

Chirashi's voice and words poked at Haku's mind.

"That's what I'm afraid of. The knowledge and power she'll obtain with it," spoke Haku.

"Then teach her you crazy dragon," said Kokatsuna with a smirk. "You love her, teach her. Okami was supposed to but it seems you would be the best for it."

At that Haku smiled and looked over at Kokatsuna.

"You always make the mood lighter, don't you?"

"That's my job isn't it?" Kokatsuna's cheerful voice sang.

"You are s-" Haku stopped himself when he felt a twitch from below him. Chihiro's body had shifted a bit and her face had tightened. Haku knew the barrier was starting to break a bit, and his arms held her tighter. "Please stay strong," he whispered into her ear.

* * *

Everything around Chihiro just kept getting blacker and blacker by the second. The light flowing essence was growing stronger and she felt something cracking from within her. It felt like her conscious was breaking, just like her soul was falling apart. She wanted to push it away, but she knew she couldn't. That pain started to increase every few minutes and Chihiro just let her mind float like the Winds of Memories said.

She continued to watch the barrier in her subconscious, the essence then made a noticeable crack and a wave lashed out. Her insides cringed, her thoughts tried to push it away, but she took the wave with open hands as best she could. Suddenly she lost sight of the essence and the barrier, to reveal flashing images. Some were too brief for her to catch, while others Chihiro saw and gazed at in wonder. All Chihiro could do was watch, and that's all she planned on doing. It was painful enough to let them rush into her mind.

_(**I normally don't do this, write in the middle of chapters like this, but the next few breaks will be memories. They will be in seperate breaks and in** **italics.)** _

* * *

_The wind caressed her face. The sun lit her skin and sent a comforting wave across her body. The young spirit looked out off the cliff. It was a perfect day and the sky was without clouds for miles around. She sat there in peace; her light brown hair wavering in the wind and her emerald eyes staring away at a different world. Her hands fiddled with a flame that flickered in her left palm. She washed her right hand back and forth over it in comfort._

_ Nothing comforted her like a flame did. After that fight with the others, she just wanted to be alone. They were preparing for a war she didn't want to be a part of. So what if she had all the power in the world? It didn't mean she had to use it. Couldn't she just push it away? Sure, it was great being able to fly or summon towers of water, but a times like this, she didn't want it. She didn't want to see blood spill across green pastures anymore. She had seen enough if it over the past three thousand years. It hurt to look at blood anymore._

_She quickly closed her fist and the flame dissipated. She then stood and sighed looking over the edge. She just wanted to get away, get away from all of this for a single day._

_"Rapisu," a voice called from behind her._

_As she heard that voice her ears perked and her eyes cast over the figure from behind her. There he was. The one that never ceased to leave her. She wondered how she would keep sane without him, but she didn't want to see him now, it was too much. That fight a few days ago left him battered and cut up. Of course he healed up like nohting happened, but just looking at him reminded her of blood. _

_Blood._

_She didn't want to see it anymore._

_Blood._

_It was causing her pain._

_Blood._

_Could she even look at others anymore?_

_Blood._

_It was breaking her down._

* * *

_A swift move of her claw sent the spirit flying backwards. The female dragon stood there with piercing red eyes. Her crimson fur showed greatly in the setting sun and her golden horns reflected the last of the glorious rays. She stood there snarling at a spirit with flowing green hair. Her green, flower covered dress covered her body, but cuts were cleanly through it. The spirit that was not laying in the ground, trying to crawl away, was looking at the female dragon in fear._

_'Please...' she croaked. 'Just stop. It's me. I'm not them. Come back to your senses!'_

_That voice clicked in the female dragon's mind and she tiled her head to the side. Her ears turned in the direction of the spirit. The dragon slowly walked up to the spirit, still with blank eyes, and stared at her. _

_'It's me...I can't take it...It hurts...all over. Please you have to recognize me.' The spirit pleaded once again._

_The female dragon kept eyeing the spirit below her. Blood was slowly seeping out of her cuts. Her hair was thrown in different direction, but what got through to the dragon was those deep green eyes. _

_Green eyes...Green hair...Green dress...flowers..._

_"Hana?"_

* * *

_"You won't win!" called called a young spiky brown haired spirit. His laughter roared through the sky as he flew. _

_"Kokatsuna that's the last thing you're going to be doing today!" called the young elemental spirit flying right beside him._

_"You wanna make a bet Rapisu? I'll beat you fair and square. I'll beat the one resound, all powerful Rapisu."_

_"Yeah right," said the young elemental spirit with a laugh. _

_They both glided over the water with ease, one trying to push in front of the other. Both of the spirits had decided to race and argued who would win. They smiled as they glanced over at one another every few seconds as their speed increased. They were only about two miles away from the end of the race. It was only a matter of minutes before they reached their destination. _

_Suddenly something disturbed their flight. The water five hundred feet ahead of them burst up in a funnel. The rose quickly then sprayed out in all directions causing the two young spirits eyes to go wide. They were to astounded to notice that they were still flying. _

_"What the!"_

_"We're dead!" screamed Kokatsuna as he tried swerving out of the way at the last second._

_But before he could completely evade the funnel it crashed right into him. soaking him to the brim. It moved quickly past him leaving him wide eyed and confused. On the other hand Rapisu easily dodged and kept flying. What she noticed was that a figure was behind the funnel and a smile spread across her face._

_"Thanks Mizutohi!" she called out to the spirit controlling the funnel._

_"No problem! Anything to keep Kokatsuna's mouth shut!" she yelled back._

_With that the young elemental spirt kept smiling and raised off towards the finish line._

* * *

_"It's not fair," she sobbed into the young emerald, eyed spirit's chest. _

_She curled up beside him and tears streamed down her face. As she did this, the emerald eyed spirit kept his arm wrapped around her body protectively._

_"I know it's not," he whispered._

_"It's hurting so bad." she cried._

_"I'm here for you," he cooed to her. "I know it hurts, but you have to keep on fighting. Don't give up Rapisu. Please don't give up."_

_"Haku," she whispered as she looked up into his eyes. "I'm sorry, but I can't. It hurts too much. It hurts other people too much. It hurts you too much. I can't do it."_

_With that the emerald eyed spirit stared into her eyes. All he could do was continue to stare because his words were running out. He then grasped her face and brought his down to hers, kissing her like there was no tomorrow._

* * *

_The scene before the teenage spirit frightened her. Her eyes were wide as her sword just dangled by her side. She couldn't force body to move, as a voice called for her to run. The emerald haired boy fought against a demon with a golden sword. Sparks flew off both blades and clanging sounds echoed through the air._

_"Rapisu run!" the boy called, but at that moment the sword flew out of his hand onto the ground. The girl then tried running but her body stayed put._

_"You're dying now Kohaku. I'm sick of you. Ready to die?" the older spirit asked with an evil grin._

_"I die with honor."_

_"Then your honor shall go with you," said the older spirit as he raised his sword and brought it down/_

_"No!" cried the girl teenage spirit, throwing herself forward. The next thing she knew a piercing pain came from her stomach and her world started to fade._

* * *

_"Hi, I'm Rapisu. What's your name?" said the little girl. She walked around the little boy and played with pieces of his hair. "Your hair is long for a boy," she said with a smirk._

_"My name is Haku and would you mind letting go of my hair?"_

_"But it's long. Can I braid it?"_

_"Absolutely not!" he whined as he ripped the hair away from her._

_"You're mean," the girl said with a frown._

_"I know I am."_

* * *

_"Protect the innocent and repair the evil. You are given this gift and power for a reason, young one. The road ahead of you will be great and tough, but we trust these heavenly powers to you. Each is special and your journey will be unclear, but others will guide you. Protect the world you are going into. We know you can do it." said a being who lightly rubbed the little girl's head._

_There were five other beings sitting around besides the one in front of this one. The little girl let her eyes glance back and forth between the heavenly beings. She then looked back to the towering woman in front of her. She them put on a big smile and gave the god a nod._

_"I'll protect everyone," she said. "You can trust me. I won't let you down mommy." The girl continued to stare into the god's eyes, and the woman stared into the child's. For a second her eyes flickered and looked like they were going to shed tears, but the great god embraced the child._

_"Rapisu, please stay safe. Don't injure yourself." the god whispered into the child's ear. "I love you little one."_

_"I love you too mommy." the child replied back and at that the world started to fade around her._

* * *

**_(This is the end of the memories and flashbacks. Next continues with Haku and Zeniba.)_**

* * *

Her body was thrashing around now. It had been more then fifteen minutes in and Chihiro was already filled with pain. Haku held her tightly and whispered words he knew she couldn't hear. Zeniba stood beside him working her magic, trying to relieve Chihiro of as much pain as she could. Her old fingers cast magic as he cracked lips whispered an ancient language. As for Chirashi and Kokatsuna, they watched with concerned faces as their friend endured a pin they couldn't imagine.

Chihiro's body suddenly tensed up and Haku felt a ripple run through her. Suddenly Chihiro's body gave out and she let out a scream he wished he hadn't heard. He kept his composure under control, but he just wanted the Winds of Memories to stop. Haku couldn't stand hearing this and seeing Chihiro like this. Chihiro continued to scream and the Winds of Memories glowed brightly.

"I love you Chihiro," he whispered into her ear over and over again.

* * *

The memories were crashing against her head like tidal waves. She couldn't sort or watch them anymore. They were just blurred images of her past. Chihiro heard quick voices and harsh screams from them. As it all built up, the last of the memories rushed past her and everything in her conscious fell silent. There was no echo, there was no noise, but one memory emerged out of the blackness that made her wonder. It made her wonder with so much curiosity. It was a memory that sparked a question she hadn't thought of.

_Where she had come from_

She watched the memory play over and over again in front of her. Chihiro realized that each time the memory played it was fading away. Chihiro realized she was coming back to reality, but she didn't want to leave yet. Before a bright light enveloped her back to reality. A few lines ran through her head.

_"Rapisu, please stay safe. Don't injure yourself." the god whispered into the child's ear. "I love you little one."_

_"I love you too mommy." the child replied back and at that the world started to fade around her._

Her mother was a god?

* * *

***takes the biggest breath ever and lets it out* I have finally finished this chapter! Probably longest chapter chapter I have ever written! I am truly hoping this satisfies you guys! I had fun writing this chapter and hope you enjoyed reading it! I would like to thank...**

_**-Nora the Northern Neko**_

_**-ludin (Guest)**_

_**-Lucy (Guest)**_

**for reviewing the last chapter! Thank you guys so much and leave some reviews for this chapter as well ;) Well next update should be Sunday, since I'm pretty busy over the next few days. Don't be surprised though if it pops up Saturday night :P Well review button is one the bottom and tell me how I did! Well off to watch the Olympics. Go TEAM USA! *coughs a few times and regains composure* Well bye for now guys and see ya soon!**


	38. Chapter 39 Screaming Pain

Her eyes opened and all she saw was a fading ceiling. Wait fading? Chihiro slowly turned her attention to the window on the opposite side of the room to see orange rays peeking through. The last time she was awake, that she remembered, the sky was blue and cloudless. She guessed she passed out after she woke up. Chihiro slowly look back at the ceiling, closed her eyes, and let out a long breath. As she recalled what happened before, new knowledge floated around her head mixed with her memories of being a human. As she let her mind drift all the new knowledge slowly settled in her mind. Chihiro's new found knowledge twisted itself in her mind though, some of her views of the world changing.

Her views on everyone was different. She knew she promised she wasn't going to change, but memories started to surface. Chihiro remembered various instances now, not all of them, and it scared her a bit. So many many of her and the Lost Ones, personal moments, memories that seemed unreal, and moments that just surrounded her ideals. Chihiro's views on everyone now was distorted, she couldn't see clearly, but it wasn't because she was confused of what she thought of them, she was confused of what they thought of her.

Some of those memories from her past life drifted through her mind and she recognized one thing...

_She was a monster._

There was just a certain group of memories, a large one in fact, the just resonated in her head. It hurt to think of them, and she tried closing them out. Chihiro wanted nothing to do with that past side of her. That one memory of her attacking Hana was planted in there. Chihiro had attacked Hana mercilessly; controlled by something far greater then her herself. This one memory she allowed to play over and over again. Anger began to build up within in her mind and heart. Is this why Hana had those strong feelings towards her? Was it because of all those times she attacked her and pestered her?

How was she, a protector and the most powerful spirit known in existence, so...so evil. Attacking her own friends? Did Chihiro even want to know these things anymore? Sure she had told Haku she was ready, but some of these images were troubling beyond thought.

_'I'm a monster," _she thought. _'I'm a true monster.'_

At that moment her eyes snapped back open to meet the orange reflecting ceiling. One word. Just one word stayed in her mind then.

_Monster._

How many people did I hurt?

_Monster. _

How many people did I kill?

_Monster._

How many places did I destroy?

_Monster._

How many times did I hurt the ones I love?

Hurt gathered up inside Chihiro and her fists clenched at her side. That word was piercing her thoughts like an infestation. There seemed to be now escape for her from the word that was now poison to her. Tears welled up at the anger that gathered inside her. Why was she given these powers if she was so evil? Questions ran through her head and she forced herself to sit up. Chihiro's hands gripped the bed sheets and twisted them between her fingers.

She knew she was overreacting a bit, okay maybe a lot, but this troubled her. She didn't want to hurt anyone anymore, and some of those memories supported that. Her hands kept twisting in the bed sheets and a salty substance started to run down her face. Those memories, she didn't want them in the front of her brain rain now. Those evil ones of her hurting people. Chihiro didn't want them, not one bit.

The disrupted bed sheets kept feeling this girls fury, her anger, and her hurt. As much as they were being tortured, this wasn't a comfortable position for them, or anyone. Chihiro kept on pulling them and sinking her hands deeper and deeper into the fabric; however, a heat started to grow. The fabric started to gradually get warmer and warmer. Chihiro's mind started to take notice of this. Her mind drifted back to reality and her tears started to slow down. Chihiro inhaled for a moment as she was about to open her eyes, but something caught her nose. She smelt something, something foul. It brought familiarity into her mind, then suddenly it fell still. She knew this smell is was...

_**Smoke.**_

_'Oh wait...That's okay. It's just smoke. Nothing bad so- Wait. Wait that's smoke. SMOKE?!' _Chihiro thought.

At that moment her eyes flickered open to find the sheets in front of her burning. How were they burning?! She kept wondering this and she pushed herself far away from the flaming bed sheets as possible. Little did she know as she pushed herself away, the edge of the bed was just waiting to greet her. The shifting bed sheets flames caught hold of the curtain a few inches away, setting a strain of billowing flames up it. Chihiro's eyes widened and she pushed back some more, but the bed was no longer there. A scream was let out of her mouth and she crashed onto the floor with a thud.

Chihiro's body was shaking a bit and she continued to push herself away from the bed. Although, as she pushed herself away, something triggered in her. It felt familiar. It felt right. It felt...safe. She stopped pushing herself away and starred at the fire. This felt like deju vu to Chihiro. This sort of thing, what was going to to happen to her felt familiar.

Her eyes suddenly blinked and the next they were a crimson color. Her hands instinctively drew themselves from their sides, to up in front of Chihiro. Like her eyes had turned a crimson color, her hair started to retreat to that color as well. The flames in front of her reacted to the motion of her hands.

_'What am I doing?' _she thought.

* * *

A scream piereced Haku's ears as he talked with Chirashi, Kokatsuna, Okami and Hana. His head whipped around tot he direction of Chihiro's room. He knew he shouldn't have left her alone. Something also caught Haku's nose as well.

_'Smoke?,' _he thought? _'Why would there be smoke coming from her room? Only if...Is someone attacking her?!'_

With a swift motion Haku rose from his chair, causing it to immediately fall against the wood floor. The others looked at him with curiosity, except Hana. She picked up on something in Haku's facial expression. It was worry. His eyes looked in the direction of Chihiro's room, and Hana knew exactly what the case was. A tinge of jealousy ran through her. Of course Haku would notice Chihiro was in trouble, but she quickly told her mind to shut up because something else caught Hana. She smelled smoke. She redirected her eyes to Chihiro's room to see smoke coming out from under the door. Her room was on fire.

As quick as Haku stood, he was at Chihiro's door, swinging it open. The others quickly followed, but Hana forced herself to stay at the table. She didn't want her feeling complicating any more meetings with Chihiro. Hana's feelings weren't in the rise place to talk to her at the moment.

As Haku's eyes scanned the room, he expected to find it burning in flames. Instead he found a giant billowing fire on the bed and Chihiro nowhere to be found. As he looked closer though his keen eyes caught her small figure in the corner, but there was something off about her appearance. Her chestnut hair was not a dark crimson red color, looking like it was matching flowing lava, while her eyes seemed to hold a flickering flame to them. His eyes widened at this and they darted back to the bed. The fire didn't consume the whole bed, but sat in a select area in the middle of the bed.

Haku's mind finally registered what was going on. Chihiro was controlling the fire on the bed. He instantly forgot about that and ran to Chihiro's side.

"Chihiro? Chihiro, are you okay? Answer me." Haku said.

Her red eyes, a second later, looked over into his emerald ones. They blinked a few times and seemed to examine him. Haku looked into her eyes and saw something he hadn't before. A new part of her flickered in her eyes. A familiar person was seen in those crimson eyes. One he hadn't seen for a long time.

"Rapisu?" he whispered, trying to test the name on his lips. As soon as that name was called the fire on the bed died down and slowly faded down to nothing. Chihiro's eyes returned to normal and her hair dimmed down to it's regular chestnut color. Chihiro's eyes then scanned Haku's face and her mouth opened.

"This memories are messing with me," Chihiro said with a sigh. "and don't call me Rapisu. I know that was my former name, and know that I have my old memories back, it seems I would welcome it. Although, I don't want to be called that...Just call me Chihiro, Haku."

Haku's facial expression suddenly changed to relief and he gave a nod.

"I know. I won't call you that again. I just wanted to try out the name, to see if you would respond. So you're finally awake. Are you feeling better?"

Chihiro then remembered the current situation she had. Those memories she had, the one she had about hurting Hana. Chihiro saw other figures out of the corner of her eye, and glanced up at the doorway to see Kokatsuna, Okami, and Chirashi standing there with faces of relief. They had thought Chihiro was injured, but she turned out to be fine; however, Chihiro noticed another figure standing close behind them. Green hair reflecting the fire that was in the living room. She knew that kind of green hair and one name registered in her head.

Hana.

Those hurtful memories of her hurting Hana banged against her head. Chihiro them shut her eyes and brought her knees up to her chest. Haku noticed this and wrapped an arm around Chihiro's body.

"What wrong?" Haku said worried. One second she was responding like her old self, then the next she was curling up beside him. "You can tell me."

Haku felt Chihiro's body let out a ragged breath and a quivering hand raised. It pointed at the door and a finger stuck out. The other, Kokatuna, Okami, and Chrashi, looked at the slender hand confused.

"Is she okay?" Kokatsuna said questioningly.

"Chihiro, what's wrong?" voiced Chirashi.

"Quite guys. She's saying something," Okami called.

Chihiro's voice crept out from under her arms.

"I can't have her here."

Haku looked confused. He looked to her arm, to the others, then back at Chihiro's small form. His arm tightened around her and he leaned forward towards her ear.

"Can't have who here?" He whispered.

"Her."

Okami and Kokatsuna looked over at Chirashi standing beside them. Chrashi looked confused and put her hands up.

"Did I do something wrong?" Chirashi asked.

"Not you," Chihiro's voice started to get ragged again. Her head lifted with tears starting to sting her eyes again. She moved her hand with a fluid motion. Suddenly Kokatuna, Okami, and Chrashi were shoved to the side by an unknown force. They looked at Chihiro with wide eyes. Tears stuck Chhihiro's eyes with frustration.

"I can't have her here!" she screamed, pointing at the doorway.

At that moment everyone turned to look at the doorway. There stood a girl with wide green eyes, staring at Chihiro. There stood Hana.

"She's causing me pain!" Chihiro cried.

Haku's eyes widened, Okami stood there with the most confused face of ALL time, Chirashi covered her mouth, and Kokatsuna eyed everyone. Haku looked from Chihiro to Hana. Once his eyes landed on Hana, they met her eyes. Her eyes were wide, with some feeling he couldn't recognize, but hurt and confusion were somewhere in there. Hana couldn't understand what Chihiro was talking about. What had she done to this girl? Sure she had rough feeling towards her, but it wasn't like she stabbed Chihiro or anything.

"What did I-" Hana tried to say, but she was interrupted.

"I can't look at you! Get out Hana! Get out!" Chihiro just screamed at Hana looking her straight in the eye.

At the Hana's fists clenched and her eyes looked into her. Her body, with a swift movement, ran away from the doorway and dashed outside. Okami, noticing this, quickly followed after her. The rest of the room was left in silence as Chihiro sat there with tears streaming down her face again.

"I'm causing her pain." Chihiro said with a whisper.

* * *

**Muhahahahahahaha! The evil ninja has finally awaken! Prepare to face you- *coughs a couple times and regains composure* Okay my mind is going a bit crazy. Can you tell?Well I told you guys I'd give you an update and *drum roll* Here it is! I think I'm developing "Chapter updating syndrome". If that's even real...Hey Haku go check that out!**

**Haku: *runs and checks a book* No it's not real. The syndrome doesn't exist.**

** Me: Awwwww...Well you know what? I'm have created a new syndrome *suddenly the name appears in the book***

**Haku: How did you do that?**

**Me: Awesomeness my friend. Ninja awesomeness to be exact. Well I seriously think I'm going to be updating a lot in the next week. Keep a lookout for a chapter coming later tonight or tomorrow my friend ;) Off to do more updating! *runs away and locks myself in a room***

**Chihiro: *walks out of a room to see readers standing there staring* Ummmmm...Can I help you guys? *readers keep staring* I'm guessing Savvyzzzz didn't say something...*runs into the room I'm in then comes back out* Okay! What she meant to say was remember to review! Review! Review! Review! She says she'll give you cookies if you do. Anonymous reviews are allowed ;)**


	39. Chapter 40 Gods

Haku shooed that others out of them room that were left. Kokatsuna and Chirashi gave a quick nod as they quickly escaped out the door. Haku looked back at Chihiro, who now, sat there shaking. Her small body was curled up and silent cries rumbled through her. Haku pulled his girl close to him.

_His girl. _

That sounded good in his thoughts and wondered how it would sound on his lips. He promised himself her would try that out later, but whispered things into her ear. Haku tried greatly to coax Chihiro to speak. He needed to know what was going on. If he knew this was going to be the result of her getting her memories back, Haku would've went against the whole plan Chihiro needed to go through. Seeing Chihiro like this didn't actually bring comfort to Haku that the memories were doing her any good. Before the other left though he could've sworn she had said something.

"Chihiro? What did you say before the two left?" he whispered to her. Haku had an idea of what he heard, but he wanted to make sure he heard right.

Chihiro shifted slightly and move her arms away from her face a bit. She then looked at Haku out of the corner of her eye that peered out from between her arms. Chihiro's eye glanced over Haku for a few moments, but all she did then was shake her head. A few minutes passed with silence, and no answer came to Haku's question. Haku didn't push on though since he couldn't sense she was going to say something soon.

As quick as Haku knew that Chihiro's body shifted once again. A mumble seemed to come from her mouth, but Haku could clearly catch what she said; however, Haku wanted Chihiro to say it out loud for real. Haku wanted her to express her feelings instead of bottling them up.

"What did you say Chihiro?" questioned Haku as he tried to get her to speak louder.

"Sh...aus...e...ai...memor...urt." she mumbled.

"What?" Haku said again.

"I'm causing, or was causing Hana pain! I always have! These memories aren't a great reminder either!" Chihiro screamed out.

Haku quickly got wide eyed at her response. He hadn't expected her to scream like that out of nowhere. He did understand that all these memories were bringing her mixed feelings though. Haku didn't understand what Chihiro mean exactly by she had caused Hana pain. Did she mean in the last two weeks or...Then it hit. The memories were the trigger of course. What was so bad though? Haku didn't remember anything about Chihiro hurting Hana in the past. Dragons did have a good memory, so he ran through it.

As he searched his memories, there was nothing he remembered. It might have been just Chihiro and Hana then, but why was she so mad now? If it had happened Hana would've put it in the past by none. He knew she would've done it because she wasn't that cold. Haku looked back at Chihiro's facial expression who was still troubling. It was a full of hurt and shame.

"Chihiro..." He couldn't help himself at that moment. He grabbed her face and brought his lips to hers. Haku just wanted to wipe those horrid emotions off of her face. He couldn't stand them being there and he was going to let them remain either.

Chihiro's eyes widened at this. She hadn't expect that sort of reaction at all. Chihiro though Haku was going to ask something when he stated her name, but his lips on hers was another thing. Chihiro responded back to him, but those images of Hana kept replaying in her mind. She needed to let them out, so she pulled away from Haku a minute later.

"Chihiro, what's wr-"

"Can I tell you what's bothering me?" she asked in a small voice.

Haku looked at her for a second then gave a slight nod. He wanted to know what was bothering her because that expression still plastered her tear streaked face. She put on a soft smile and started to speak.

"The memories that I have gotten back have exposed me to a whole new world. Some of it seems familiar, while others seem completely absurd. There's a group of memories, the ones revolving around Hana, that just keep showing themselves. I don't know if it's something to do with what's going on or what happened back then. These memories show me hurting and attacking her at various points in my previous life. Is that why she hates me now? Does she still think I'm a monster. I don't want her to hate me." Chihiro explained and her eyes slowly drifted to the floor.

"Trust me Chihiro, she doesn't hate you. She has something against you. I know that, but I don't think it's because of those memories. She has probably forgiven you for those, but I don't remember you ever attacking her."

"Because It was only me and her."

"But still, someone would've said something. You weren't the type back then to even attack anyone. You hated the sight of blood."

_Blood._

That triggered that memory; the few of the memories she gained first. That memory bothered her, and she knew she hated that word and the sight of it. The sight of blood brought a pain to her stomach, but if it meant saving someone, Chihiro would push through.

"Chihiro?"

"Sorry Haku. Just thought of something. If I didn't like attacking people...then maybe was I controlled? Like how you ended up killing me in my past life, but you were controlled. Could that be the same type of situation?

When Chihiro mentioned that painful memory, he felt a bit sick. That horrid war and ending weren't apart of his legacy or tale. It was a part of a painful and embarrassing past he wished to forget. Like her, Haku wished she hadn't reminded him of that,but her quickly pushed it away. The only important person right now was Chihiro, at least on his priority list.

"Chihiro it might have been, nut I'm not sure. I wasn't there so I truly wouldn't know. In order to find the complete story about your memories you have to connect all the lingering pieces together. No one else can do that but you."

Chihiro took that into thought and gave a slight nod, but suddenly a new memory came into her head.

"Haku...was my mother a god?"

* * *

**Sorry this took so long, and it's so short. Promise another chapter in a few hours. It will be at least 2,000 words and I want to thank ludin(guest) for reviewing. Hope you all liked the chapter and see you guys soon.**


	40. Chapter 41 Impossible Questions

Hana stood outside, the night sky like a blanket to the earth, and frustrated tears streaming down her face. The whole situation between her and Chihiro was getting out of hand. She looked to the sky as a gentle breeze was brought through the forest by the world. She stood at the edge of Zeniba's property thinking how life would've been if Chihiro would have never come back. Hana didn't understand half of what was going on right then. She had promised herself, and Okami, that she would put her feelings aside and stand by Chihiro's side. The next Chihiro harshly screamed at her and Hana was left alone under the blackness of the sky.

_'She's causing me pain.'_

Those words were the ones that pierced her like a dagger. What in the world had Hana done to Chihiro? Hana ran through all the moments that her and Chihiro has together in the past two weeks. Nothing Hana said or did should have caused Chihiro to end up in that state. Maybe it was the memories doing all the pain causing, but she wondered why Chihiro would direct it at her. Did Chihiro know Hana had feelings for Haku, and she wanted to get rid of her? Or was it that Chihiro just despised Hana with all her heart?

Whatever the problem was, vanished as someone touched Hana's shoulder. She quickly spun around in a defense stance to see who was there. Hana's angry expression soon dropped as she saw who stood before her. There stood Okami with her hands held in the air.

"I'm not here to steal your money. I swear I'm innocent," he said sheepishly. At the Hana regained her posture and smiled softly, before turning around to face the forest once more.

"Looks like you were crying," said Okami as he walked up beside her.

"Me crying? You have the wrong person." At this Hana quickly wiped the stray tears and tears marks that claimed her skin.

"Nope. I can clearly see the tears stains on your face and the tears." Okami lifted a finger as he said this, and caught a tear with his fingertip. Hana felt his skin graze her causing her body to stiffen. Her breath hitched as well, but Okami held his finger up to her face, not noticing Hana's reaction.

"See there's tears on your face." A smirk appeared on his face. "Oh does sweet little Hana want a hug? Come here!"

Before Hana could react, she was enveloped in the tightest embrace possible. She would've normally pushed Okami away, but once again, he was the only one that came to her aid. Hana accepted the embrace but hesitantly wrapped her arms around the purple haired figure in front of her. Okami, at Hana's touched, flinched a little. He hadn't expected Hana to return the embrace. Normally she would would shove him away and call him crazy.

As they both stood there, instead of joking, Okami stood silently with Hana in his arms. Something inside him made him feel odd. It wasn't something he recognized feeling, so he pushed it away. Instead of going away that weird, warm fuzzy feeling picked at him. Okami felt his heart pick up a bit, but didn't understand why. All he was doing was helping out a friend; supporting Hana.

With Hana leaning her head on Okami's chest, something bothered her as well. Her cheeks were now red, for a reason she didn't understand. Okami had jokingly hugged her, but she didn't understand why this comforting one was any different. She had felt Okami tense, but suspected it was from the breeze rolling through. As they stood there, Hana asked herself a question.

Why had Okami been the one to come to her aid twice now? Everyone else remained inside with Chihiro, while he came to her. Okami said he had loved Chihiro, and if he still did, wouldn't he be beside Haku helping her any way she could? At least Okami was civil enough to keep his feelings to a minimal while she couldn't, but why he was hugging her was still confusing her. Earlier they had been goofing around and now they just stood in silence.

"Okami..." Hana said quietly.

"Yeah green head?"

"Do you feel that?" she said nervously.

"Feel what?" He said looking down at her with a confused look. Was she referring to that warm annoying feeling he was having?

"It's...that weird feeling...I don't know. It's making me feel weird."

"Oh...I don't know what you're talking about. Maybe you should have a doctor check you out or something," he said with a smile. He tried his best to smile so she wouldn't see what he was actually thinking. At hearing this Hana just sighed and punched him lightly.

"It's just probably the air or something. It's humid outside right now anyway." Hana realized they were still in an embrace and she quickly pulled herself away.

"Yeah it's definitely humid out here. Hey, wait! That means I'm covered in your sweat!" Okami quickly went to look at his shirt. He playfully made a sickening face and pretended to gaze at the shirt disgustingly. Hana's facial expression immediately turned red and she whacked Okami over the head.

"I do not sweat!" she said self consciously as she stormed away from him down the path, away from Zeniba's house.

"I was kidding! Wait up!" he called to Hana as she ran after her laughing and tripping over himself.

* * *

The Winds of Memories floated above the circular table in the living room patiently waiting for Chihiro. She had been out for some time, then that incident occurred causing more time to pass. The Winds of Memories was in no rush, but knew the dragon was the right spirit to deal with her right now. She the harshness of those memories was going to take a toll on the girl, but not this much. The Winds of Memories didn't expect her to completely pass out like that. She woke up so suddenly with a scream then collapsed into the young male's arms.

_'How is she?' _the Winds of Memories said to Zeniba who was standing over the stove cooking something.

"She seems to be okay now. Haku is with her. She should be out soon from what I sense, but for now she's fine."

_'I sensed some disturbances before, besides the smoke coming from her room. I just feel confused feelings coming from there.'_

"It's nothing to worry about. Chihiro's a strong girl. She's just finding out who she is and when everything gets too rough for her, we'll be by her side. No matter what happens she has friends around to support her. No one's going to abandon her at this point. Chihiro has her memories back, an enemy needs to be defeated...She's not alone."

* * *

Haku just sat there with wide, extremely wide eyes. That question was one he had heard countless time, when Chihiro was Rapisu. She always daydreamed that her mother was a god, and she used to describe in clear descriptions that her mother was one of the high gods. Of course, the high gods never mated, it was unheard of, or even impossible. But of course the Lost Ones were a myth for quite a while until they were put into action; however, a high god bearing a child was even more out of the ordinary.

"Chihiro...you know what you're asking right?"

"Yes." She said with a confused look as she read Haku's expression. "Of course I know what I'm asking. I'm not crazy. I asked if my mother was a god."

"I know...You, as in Rapisu, used to ask that all that time. You used to daydream about your mother, and you always described that one single memory you had of her. You always described a towering women with flowing white hair, piercing violet eyes, sleek cheekbones, soft hands, and a long white dress. You talked about how she hugged you and told you to be careful. Chihiro you made it seem so life like, and you described that there were four other high gods as well. Everything in that memory of yours was so clear, but it's impossible. How could a high god bear a child? They're eternal and don't mess with mating because they have no worries of dying. We spirits, like you and me, may live for a long long time, exceeding the lifespan of a human, but we all die in the end. We fade when we have nothing to live for. As long as we have something to cling onto and we're remembered, we can survive." Haku said that while looking at Chihiro the whole time.

Chihiro just sat there staring at Haku like he was crazy. All those memories she had must have been real. That one of her mother couldn't have been fake. She clearly saw that memory and now remembered it as clear as day. She knew it was real for sure.

"Haku that memory was real. Why would I remember it if it wasn't?"

"It might have been an important dream to you Chihiro."

Chihiro sat there in silence for a moment contemplating on what to do. Maybe the Winds of Memories would be able to tell her if the memory was real, but she knew she owed the Winds of Memories something first. Chihiro suddenly rose and Haku followed instinctively. He gave her a questioning look, but all she did was walk towards the door.

"Chihiro what are you doing?" Haku asked.

"The Winds of Memories will tell me if it's real, plus I owe the Winds of Memories something as well. I know it's real Haku even if it seems impossible. Nothing is impossible Haku unless you think it is. There may be myths, legends and tales that seem impossible, but how do you think they started in the first place? Someone had to get the idea from somewhere."

With that Chihiro quickly disappeared out the door of her bedroom to the red glowing living room.

* * *

**Here's the next chapter! Thanks again for reviewing ludin. I'm glad you're liking the story lol. Also big thanks to everyone else who alerted, favorited, reviewed, and read the story. Hope you liked this chapter and I hope to have the next one out soon. It should be out in the next few days, but I'm going away tomorrow so it might be longer. Good thing is I don't start school till September 4th so expect a few more chapters out of me. After that chapters will most likely only appear on weekends. Well off to finish last minute schoolwork I have! Fun -_- Lol bye for now and Review! Review! And guess what...Review! :P**


	41. Chapter 42 Reveal, Annoyance, Revenge

Finally the Winds of Memories caught of glimpse of Chihiro exiting her room. The spirit remained above the table patiently waiting for the young spirit to make her way over to her. The Winds of Memories sensed Chihiro had a waver of curiousness surrounding her. The spirit guessed Chihro had a question about something because the feelings from that room were diverse and unsettling.

Chihiro glided over to the Winds of Memories with Haku immediately trailing behind her. The young dragon was clinging to her like he was the last piece of his life. The feelings that surrounded him were filled with care, and a lot of it. The Winds of Memories silently chuckled in her head, but turned her attention to Chihiro as her voice echoed throughout the room.

"I have a question and I know I owe you a favor, but please answer this. It's been bugging me for a little bit. There's a memory that I have that shows that my mother was, or is, a high god. Haku told me it was impossible for a high god to have a child though. Could it be possible that my memory is just a dream that I have held very close to me?" Chihiro spit the words out quickly, craving the information she wanted.

Haku stood behind Chihiro with a flustered face, Zeniba looked at Chihiro with a watchful eye, Chirashi and Kokatsuna were nowhere to be seen, and the Winds of Memories remained silent for a moment. The rooms feeling suddenly became a bit dense. The Winds of Memories then drifted over the table towards Chihiro. The aura surrounding the Winds of Memories dimmed a bit, and it's voice seeped into Chihiro's mind.

_'Child...I cannot tell you anything until I see the memory. About a high god having a child, it is nearly impossible and unheard of. There have been great tales throughout the centuries that there have been a few spirits that have possessed such power of a high god. The high god would've mated with a lone spirit, and even in such diverse cases, a human. Those tales don't seem out of reach though when we look at you. The high gods did create your group to protect the spirit world and human world from harm. Spirits can be created from a piece of nature needing a guardian to a war creating such evil._

_ There are obvious cases when a spirit would fall in love with another and breed new life into a spirit, but spirits don't need parents to be born. They are born from feelings and emotions of the world. Like a child created from two spirits is brought into this world and created by the strongest feeling of love. So in the end, spirits are basically created from the emotions of the world and can be created from nothing. The High gods on the other hand, can shape a spirit and bring it to being when they feel it's necessary. Those spirits that are created from the High gods have the holiest touch to them, like your group the Lost Ones. One of you being a child of the high god...that's a completely different story.'_

Chihiro stood in thought for a second and pondered on what the Winds of Memories said. Spirits created from the emotions of the world...She had never knew that. She never knew where spirits came from in the first place, but her mind was still focused on the idea of her mother being a high god. If the the memory was true, and her mother was a high god, then who was her father?

There were so many questions forming in Chihiro's head now, but how would she be able to find any of the answers if none of them knew. She then started to remember the whole point of her regaining her memories was to remember the powers she had, and defeat Kaze. She didn't want to seem selfish, but curiousness at the moment started to get the best of her. She knew she needed to help her friends, and she could already feel the familiarity of her powers coming back, but most importantly, her life and background was completely grim to her.

Chihiro had no idea where she came from truly, or what she was exactly. Right now though, she was going to see if the memory was real, return the Winds of Memories favor, and most importantly, save the human world and spirit world from Kaze.

_'I'll check the memory child and then-'_

"I shall return the favor. You have helped me greatly and I'm truly thankful." Chihiro voiced. Everyone else in the room just stood silently as they watched Chihiro and the Winds of Memories converse.

* * *

Haku stood a few feet away from Chihiro, eyeing her and the Winds of Memories. He had heard the full conversation and was a little fathomed by Chihiro's memory. He knew that they were created from the High Gods, but how was it possible that she was a child. Why would one of the High Gods mate? No one knew how the High Gods truly came into being. Only they themselves know how they were created, and a few very ancient spirits who managed to be alive since the beginning of time.

Haku's attention then drifted back to Chihiro as the Winds of Memories drifted towards her. The aura around the spirit brightened as it neared Chihiro's forehead. The Winds of Memories positioned itself inches from Chihiro's head and the aura reached out and lightly touched her head.

Haku watched as Chihiro's head was enveloped in a bright light. Her eyelids closed, as her lashes brushed against her skin. He sensed the scent of hope around Chihiro. He knew she wanted that memory to be real. His eyes looked over at Zeniba for a second who was watching the two spirits as well. Haku glanced around the room only to see no face. The others had disappeared to somewhere, and he felt somewhat glad. He didn't want anyone at the moment to interfere anymore.

Haku then looked back at Chihiro, her head emitting a lit glow. Her body was completely relaxed and a soft smile escaped from his lips. He loved how she looked so peaceful. He loved the way her chestnut hair cascaded down her back. Above all, he loved her personality and who she was. Haku was still hoping those memories wouldn't change her in time. Sure her insight was more broad then ever, but that didn't mean she herself had to change. His eyes continued to watch for a few more moments.

The Winds of Memories suddenly drew back and Chihiro's head died down. He felt the energy of the spirit leave her. The moment he had been waiting for, along with Chihiro and Zeniba, was about to be voiced.

"So is the memory real?" Haku heard Chihiro say. The Winds of Memories voice then filled all of the spirits mind within that room.

_'Chihiro...Haku...That memory is a memory. It's real. It's not tainted with imagination. The spirit in the memory is indeed her mother.'_

Chihiro's face suddenly brightened, a wide smile spreading across her face. Her scent suddenly spiked, Haku could sense it. It was filled with relief and hope that she wasn't crazy; however, Haku just stood there. His facial expression wavered, and instead of smiling, his face dimmed. So her mother was a high god...She was something that they weren't...She was different in anyway possible...That tale that was impossible was possible. A smile then appeared on his lips and he let out a chuckle. His Chihiro was even more special then he could've imagined.

This didn't change his appearance on Chihiro however. It only made him attracted to her and love her more. He loved her for who he was, but now this information just made her overall picture a little more interesting.

* * *

"Get away from me you creep!" yelled Hana as she dashed off through the forest, her green hair flowing behind her.

Okami let out a laugh and ran even faster. His speed and agility easily let him catch up to Hana. Both of them were rather fast since they were both bound to the ground by their powers, but Okami didn't care. He would catch up to her no matter what.

"I was kidding green head. What are you running away from? You know you want to hug me all night."

"That," said Hana. "Is the biggest lie in history."

"Then why did you cling to me before like you wanted me so bad." As Okami said this his laugh rang through the forest. As Hana caught this she stopped running. She turned to face his figure that had stopped running as well; serious facing delirious.

"I didn't cling to you. I don't need you or anyone."

"Hey, hey," said Okami. "Chill down. I was kidding. I was just comforting you before. No need to get yourself in a twist."

"Well then will you stop following me for once so I don't have to hear your annoying voice anymore?" Hana then sighed and disappeared off into the forest.

_'What the hell is wrong with girls? One moment nice, then the next they are the most vicious animals on the planet'_ thought Okami.

* * *

A figure stood, watching the two figures converse in the forest. His golden hair glistening in the moonlight, along with his golden eyes catching every movement. A sly smile stained his face as he turned towards the sky.

"This world, and the human world will look to me as the highest god. The High Gods will cease to exist and I will be the new pinnacle of rule and praise. I will wait for my love to gain her powers to their full potential. I'll wait till she can wield them like she used to. her strong personality blazing through the flames she will control...Chihiro you will be mine once again."

At that an array of scales rose into the air. They flew up to the moon as if they were lost souls reuniting themselves with the sacred heavens. When they disappeared there was a dragon left. It left out a low growl and shot into the night. It knew only time would tell...It knew only time would tell when his love's power would be his. She would be in his arms once more.

* * *

**Dun Dun DUN! Lol here's the next chapters for you guys. Thanks for reviewing Breezy, Guest, and Namakami. Also thanks for Supersalamance who followed, and I think favorited the story. Tooooo lazy to look back right now, but thanks for everything everyone. The hits for this story keep going up, along with the reviews, and I'm glad. I'm so happy to have 124 reviews! Thanks again guys and hope you liked this chapter! Next chapter should be up Thursday or Friday...Well bye for now and...Review...Review...and REVIEW! :P Or I will send Haku and Chihiro to chase you down.**


	42. Chapter 43 Reunited Foundations

"That means my mother is really a-"

"Yes that means she a High God, Chihiro." Haku had interrupted Chihiro, seeing that her face was filling with even more excitement by the second.

"Told ya the dream was true, Haku." Chihiro then stuck her tongue out at Haku with a smirk. Haku rolled his eyes and gave out a sigh.

"That means that she's still alive, but who's my father. Why did my mother decide to have a child? Why did she send me down here?...All these questions...I have a job to do now though." Chihiro then turned to the Winds of Memories. "I have a favor to return, learn my powers again, help my friends, and help save two worlds that are dear to me. It's just those questions are going to be in my mind..."

_'The answers will come in time, Child. You will learn everything in time now, and the favor I ask of you is to return me to my human and spirit form. I wish to be linked to what I lost...I lost the tree of memories that was just outside my domain. It still resides there, but was tainted with the evil of some spirits, and since people forgot about me as well, I started to fade,' _said the Winds of Memories.

Chihiro snapped out of her current train of thought and look up at the Winds of Memories. She obviously agreed to do the favor, and Haku stood close by watching.

"I'll complete your favor as I promised, but how do I do it; combine your spirit back to your link? I have tried remembering some sort of power that can do that. Although, all the memories that I thoroughly remember are of myself and the other Lost Ones. None of them are really about me using my powers."

Chihiro stood there slightly confused and she began to look through her semi new memories. Nothing about using powers stood out to her, or anything important. Suddenly Chihiro felt, somewhat sensed, a pull at her mind. It felt as if someone was playing with the strings of her thoughts. She looked up to the see the Winds of Memories slightly glowing.

_'I am bringing to light the memory you will need to help me,' _said the Winds of Memories.

Chihiro felt a warmth run through her mind as an image, developing into memory, came into view. She thought of it and watched it replay in her head. A familiar sense of power washed through her. Haku, standing a few feet away, felt a surge run through Chihiro. He knew that she had remembered a power that was dangerous, yet so powerful. He knew it would take time for her to completely master it, but at the moment the memory was enough for her to succeed in completing the favor.

That familiarity kept growing and she could feel the sense of power at her hand. The movements and ironic nature became apart of her once again as a little part of her past self was renewed. That flowing image in her head of herself; wielding a power that was known to no other. Maybe a high god possessed it, and that was of high probability, but this power in the wrong hands who drastically change anyone or anything. Chihiro now knew this from this small memory.

Chihiro watched her petite hands, that were a sullen crimson, as they linked a spirit to it's lost piece. She could feel that lost sense coming from the memory; that compelling sense that was like a newborn breathing its first breath. That final click in the process that breathed new life, or a lost part of it into a spirit.

Chihiro then felt that warmth fade from her and she opened her eyes. The Winds of Memories died down as well, but Chihiro's eyes drifted to Haku's. He stood there, tall and firm, but a small smile was laid upon his face. He was slowly getting prouder of this girl, _his girl, _by the second. The old spirit she was showed through her, as well as the human he had fallen in love with. They were so much alike and yet so different in other aspects. In the end, both were extremely stubborn at times and wanted to aid others as they would for her. His eyes met hers and he gave her a slight nod.

_'I'm proud of you,' _he thought to her.

Chihiro's eyes suddenly widened for a moment, since she was not used to using telepathy that much. She then remembered she had that ability, but was only aloud to use it when they were dragons.

_'Thanks...' _Chihiro stood silent for a moment then thought again. _'I thought we could only talk telepathically while we were dragons. Can anyone else here us?'_

A smirk played upon his face and he replied to her.

_'Well since we're dragons, we can use telepathically, along with the other Lost Ones. Not all spirits have it, only a limited number do. And no one can hear us silly. What would be the point of tel__epathically then?'_

_'Oh...'_

_'I don't mean to interrupt your lovely conversation going on in your heads, but Chihiro did you receive the memory?' _The Winds of Memories thought to her.

Both of the young spirit then flushed red a bit and looked at Each in confusion, then looked to the Winds of Memories. They were a little surprised the spirit had been able to hear them, but of course there were things both of them didn't know.

"Haku," Chihiro said aloud. "I thought no one could hear us."

"Well...I...That spirit isn't supposed to!" he blurted out a little bit embarrassed.

_'Both of you calm down. Your thoughts come into my mind automatically. I have no control over that. What I mean by thoughts is your telepathic conversation. I have been around more centuries then you could ever count, and I have mastered telepathy beyond any spirit, close to that of a high god. '_

"Oh," they both said in unison. Chihiro coughed to clear her throat while Haku muttered to himself. Chihiro then looked up at the Winds of Memories, and explained how she had received the memory. She believed she was ready to complete the favor, but there was one thing she wanted to do first. She wanted to summon ther power before she actually had to use it. Chihiro wanted to know how it really felt to have that power at her hand. The others just wanted Chihiro slightly confused as her hand started to glow a crimson color, and her eyes drifted closed.

That power started to course through her, one that could cause afflictions but bring new life. She felt that new breath of life move from a fiery pit in her abdomen, to her arms, then her hands. It pulsed within Chihiro like a steady heartbeat. The Winds of Memories watched Chihiro with a slight feeling of relief as the girl conjured up the power she had long forgotten. She would need work and help to improve her lost powers, but at this moment the spirit knew she had a good grasp on it. Haku also watched as well. He watched and felt how the power coursed through her. Like he thought before, that small lost piece was returning.

A sigh escaped Haku's lips as he saw the girl before him. He just wanted to embrace the girl before him at that moment. That power she had, it just amazed him, but also frightened him. Haku didn't want this power to take over Chihiro's head. He didn't want to risk losing her, but he had been thinking this for the past few days. He couldn't fathom the idea of all that power coming back to her, and she would leave him. Haku knew Chihiro said she loved him and had promised she wouldn't change; however, promises could be broken, even by the ones you love.

Haku immediately pushed the idea away, not wanting those nonsense thoughts taking over him even. He turned his attention back to Chihiro who had now walked over to the Winds of Memories. Her eyes were showing the same crimson colors as her hands. The Winds of Memories was a taken back a little by the sudden movement of the girl. The spirit knew she had just summoned the power, but didn't the girl want to get used to it?

"Come here, I'm ready. I can feel that lost link of yours, it feels dread. It wants to be back with you because its foundation is falling as well. You two need you lost link as it needs you. I can feel it's call through the winds..."

_'I can too and I am ready as well.' _

Haku heard the way Chihiro had talked just a moment ago and it sounded like she was full of knowledge. It sounded like someone higher, like someone had taken over her. Haaku just watched in amazement at how Chihiro hands were cupped around the Winds of Memories. Her palms began to get brighter and her hair flickered red as well. Haku could sense a power spike in her. The Winds of Memories could sense it too, but the spirit could also feel it pulsating through it as well. She felt a connection, a bond if you wanted to call it, being formed, It was as if those cut strings were being threaded together once again.

The power continued to flow into the Winds of Memories and life was breathed into the fading spirit once again. Chihiro and the others would remember this spirit so it would not be forgotten once again. The Winds of Memories sent thought of thanks into Chihiro and the spirit could feel her human form taking place once again. For the first time in centuries, the spirit smiled in her mind. That smile would soon take place on _her _lovely face.

* * *

**And here is the next chapter! Sorry I didn't get this out earlier. Finally made it through the first week of school. Nice amount of work for the first week and onto the second in like 12 hours lol. Hope all of you out there are having 'fun' in school as well. I think I have decided that I'm going to be updating most of my stories on Sunday's from now on. It just seems easier to because it's the day that I have usually nothing to do, except the occasional birthday party I have to do or Karate Tournament. **

**I want to thank Anonymous for reviewing the last chapter. Glad to hear you love the story, and thanks for everyone else who read. The next chapter is probably going to take place about three days later, after Chihiro restored the Winds of Memories. I need to jump ahead a bit to get the story rolling a bit more, and this seems to be the spot. Of course I'll let Chihiro explain what happened, I don't want you guys to be left hanging.**

**Chihiro: Yay! I get to explain stuff!**

**Haku: *sighs and mumbles* Oh lord**

**Chihiro: what did you say? I heard that!**

**Haku: *looks up startled* I said nothing! *runs away before something can happen***

**And so I will leave those crazy two...See you guys soon and review!**


	43. Chapter 44 Weighing in on the Moments

"Chihiro you have to concentrate on the water being calm, and let it flow gracefully. Not lift it in the air, hysterically laugh, and then let it spill all over me."

Chihiro kept on laughing as she saw Haku stand there thoroughly drenched. Now only did she succeed to control the water from the river beside her, but Chihiro has also managed to lift the subtle element, and drop it on the poor dragon boy. She didn't mean to, she truly didn't/ She had wanted to let the water accelerate around his body like a snake coiling around someone. But in her failed attempt, she cracked up because of Haku's bewildered expression. At that moment her concentration was lost completely, and all in all, the poor boy was soaked from head to toe.

"You did need a shower though," she said with a hoarse laugh, since she had been laughing for the past few minutes.

"Say what? I bathed earlier this morning."

"Are you sure? You kind of smelled when I walked past you."

"Why you little!" Haku's figure then turned into a blur, disappearing from Chihiro's line of sight. A sly smile appeared on his face as he swiftly tackled the girl to the ground. Then moments later both were erupting with laughter that could be heard for miles.

The past few days had been rather calm and quiet. It had been three days since Chihiro had linked the Winds of Memories to the Tree of Memories. The Winds of Memories, who was now a girl apparently, returned to where she belonged. Her powers had returned back, so there was no need for someone to escort her back. The smile on the spirit's face as she looked at her human form, and tested her powers, made everyone in the room fill with happiness, especially Chihiro. The feeling that she had done something truly worth while with her powers just made her feel at ease. Her powers weren't so wicked after all.

The rest of the Lost Ones were now squished into Zeniba's house instead of staying in the inn they were at a week prior. They thought it was better for all of them to be around each other in case anything happened. As the others came to settle in, Chihiro adopted a teacher to help with her powers. Of course it was Haku, but as soon as the word spread to Okami, the pouty faces begun. He had wanted to teach his best friend, also his secret love, the ways of her powers. Although, when a dragon is bearing its fangs at you, you don't exactly go against him.

The last three days had passed quite slow for Chihiro. Today her and Haku were mostly working on her control water, but that didn't see to be turning out so well. Yesterday Chihiro had spent the day just travelling a bit. She wandered away from the house and flew above the crystal waters of the heavenly ocean that ran across the Spirit World. Shehad done this at the early hours of the morning, not telling anyone, but she had guessed Haku knew she had left that house. That dragon was now quite fond of being around her every second, wanting to keep her safe.

He did feel Chihiro leave that morning but knew she needed the space. In his "pretend" sleeping state he easily smelled the scent on her. Chihiro had just wanted some time to just gather everything, so she did. She had flown for a few hours, or at least she thought she had. She flew through the sky, the dark blanket of night, into the bearing rays of the morning sun. The gentle rays of the rising sun soon turned into pulsating beams that warmed her scales. The young spirit flew as a dragon over the crystal clear waters as she had remembered: feeling the passing wind rushing through her fur.

Her thoughts had slowly begun to settle in her bewildered mind. All those crazy things had finally stops tossing around in her head and settled into a peaceful order. More memories had started to come back more and more each day. Some of them little snippets, others clear as day weaved with beauty, and some painful to think about. In the end, Chihiro welcomed each one knowing it would help her in the long run.

There were ones about her and Haku though. Those were some of the ones she paid more attention to. Those memories of him and her, made Chihiro love the dragon a little bit more with each day. Sure they had said they loved each other, but things were being taken slowly. Everyone could sense something was going on between the two, but they had decided to keep "public displays" to a minimum; however, when they had the chance, they would steal a kiss or two. Their faces turning bright red, still not used to the contact they had both started to greet.

At the moment, Chihiro tried lifting the water again.

"Haku, I don't understand why you could just stop the water from going on you. You are a spirit of water and the winds after all." Chihiro let a smirk slip out as she said this. Haku just simply sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Chihiro," he replied. "It was the spur of the moment."

"Uh huh, sure. Says the dragon who is usually ferocious as hell when it comes to senses."

"..."

"Gotcha there."

"No you didn't."

"Yes, I did."

"Nope. Nada. Zip."

"Liar."

"Chihiro se-" The poor dragon was then completely soaked with water again. A piercing laugh filled his ears as he viewed the chestnut girl on the ground laughing her head off.

Haku stood there, flexing his hands and moving them in various motions, soon the water was in the air around him. Tiny droplets floated in the air glistening off the luminous rays. His skin and clothes now dry, but he slowly turned towards Chihiro and a smirk played upon his face. The girl was too busy laughing to notice the sly smile that was aimed towards her.

Chihiro twist and turned on the ground. A gleeful laugh escaped her lips as well. Her eyelids were shut and no obvious take on her surroundings was being taken into consideration. Chihiro's powers had been heightening over the past few days, get better and better, but there was still a loss for their control. Although, she able to sense more things now and something seemed off. She cracked an eye open to see what was wrong but was drenched with what seemed to be half the river beside her. A high pitched scream was let of the the frail girl as the bone chilling water came in contact with her.

Chihiro's eyes were wide with unforeseen shock. She stared at Haku with wide eyes and then her body starts to shiver, however, a smile crept up onto her face. Haku's moment of triumph soon came to a halt as he saw Chihiro smiling. That scared him even more then her powers themselves. That whole trick he just pulled on her became obsolete as that smile grew bigger and bigger. Whatever was going to happen next was surely to be worse then what he had done to her.

"Haku you looked scared," said Chihiro with a lower voice then usual.

"Why...why are you smiling?"

"Oh clueless dragon."

* * *

Chirashi looked out the window at the two spirits and just shook her head. Haku was supposed to be teaching her, but of course, he was fooling around with Chihiro. Chirashi noticed that Chihiro was smiling and Haku looked as scared as hell.

'_There they go again,' _she thought.

Chirashi turned around and leaned back on the window. She was the only one left in Zeniba's house at the moment. No Face and Zeniba were in the back gardening, Okami, Hana, and Kokatsuna went out to fetch some materials, and Haku and Chihiro were outside. A sigh escaped her pursed lips as she pushed herself off ythe window and lazily walked to the table in the center of the room. At the moment she couldn't think of anything to do. Her mind just seemed to not concentrate or think, but in other words, her words, her brain was mechanically dead.

The past few days had been rather quiet for her. Kokatsuna cracked a few corny jokes to her, but she hadn't really had a good laugh. Chirashi had drifted away from the group a bit, not announcing her intelligent thoughts as usual. Something inside just didn't seem right.

She felt something pulsating inside her, like a doubt or a feeling that something was going to happen. Sure everyone should be able to relax, but some of them were just goofing around when they should have been training to defeat Kaze. Chirashi just felt the group should be more productive, but an unknown force just kept weighing on down on her.

"Time to go see where the others are..."

With that a sigh escaped Chirashi's lips and the door slammed behind her a second later.

* * *

"Hana come on. It was a joke,' said Okami as he chased after Hana wailing.

"Sorry can't hear you."

"Hana!"

"Do I hear someone calling me?" Hana continued to walk casually down the path next to Kokatsuna, who looked rather distressed. "Kokatsuna do you hear someone calling my name?"

Kokatsuna then played along considering he was going to have to do something later. He was, after all, the joking type.

"No, I don't Hana. It must be the wind calling." Hana looked over at Kokatsuna out fo the corner of her eye and gave a smirk. Okami's face immediately turned red.

"Kokatsuna your joining her?!"

"Still don't hear anything Hana"

"Same here Kokatsuna. I must be developing hearing problems."

"Hana I swear! Just stop and talk to me. I didn't mean to do it."

At that Hana literally burst out laughing, almost mocking what Okami said. She had kept on walking but petty reason had made her insides jolt. He didn't mean to do it. How pathetic did Okami take her for?

"Did mean to do it?" Hana turned around as she said this. "Did mean to do it huh? Okay then."

"Hey wa- Wait what?"

"Have fun."

"What are you talking abo-" Okami never finished what he was saying since he face planted into the ground. Tree roots then wrapped around his legs securing him in place. Branches then reached down and hoisted him up by his hands, pretty much holding him captive with no way of escape.

"Awwww look at poor Okami. Stuck with nowhere to go. That's for doing that to me and have fun." She then happily skipped away laughing like a maniac. Kokatsuna looked from Hana to Okami.

"Sorry bro, can't help you. This is just too funny." Kokatuna followed Hana's lead leaving the "estatic" wolf spirit to himself.

"HANA!"

* * *

"Chihiro this isn't funny!"

Haku screamed that as he was encased in a funnel of wind. He could've easily broken down the funnel, except that Chihiro, the mysterious Chihiro, somehow managed to weave another power into it. As hard as he tried he couldn't get out of it.

"Haku do you want to get out yet?"

"Chihiro you're evil."

"Aww Haku you're so mean," said Chihiro with a smile as she just stood there.

Haku let out a sigh an concentrated all the energy he had, suddenly the wind halted and then blew out in all different directions. Chihiro was then knocked back by the force of the wind, sprawled out on the ground. Haku then smiled slyly and jumped on top of Chihiro, pinning her to the ground. He barred his fangs playfully.

"You think you were going to win that easily?"

Chihiro's face turned red, but then she held her ground.

"How do you know I didn't let you do that?" she said questioning him.

"Because," he said as he lowered his voice. "You wouldn't let me..." His head crept closer to her face. "Do this...so easily." His lips then brushed against hers and Chihiro froze where she was.

"Look at the two lovebirds. So cute and frail." A voice spoke a second later.

* * *

**Hehehaha cliffy time :D Thanks for the reviews guys and everyone else that read! Special thanks to...**

**Myst400: That was the end of the chapter and hope this chapter satisfied your taste :) Thanks for reviewing**

**Anonymous: Thanks and hope this chapter was good enough, and here's a cliffy for you :P Thanks for reviewing**

**Nicoleeee: Glad to hear you love my story so much! :) I don't want to spoil anything but...cough cough...keep an eye out for Kaze, that's all I'm going to say. Thanks again and thanks for reviewing.**

**Well see ya guys next Sunday unless I have time to type up a chapter during the week. Bye bye for now and...REVIEW! :D **


	44. Chapter 44 New Troubles

"What the!" Chihiro looked back from the position she was in to see an upside down Lin. Chihiro's face immediately flooded with a crimson color, and so did Haku's. Both of them seemed to be frozen in the moment, considering they hadn't expected anyone to be watching. Lin stood there with a rather proud smile, a glint of slyness was hinted there as well.

"What are you doing here?!" Chihiro blurted out.

"What? A friend can't drop by? The bathhouse has been completely corrupted as you guys know. Yubaba still hasn't been able to get it back on it's feet. That place is still a bloody mess from those freaking cannibals. That witch is as lazy as hell. She hasn't made an effort to even get the blood removed from the floorboards. She just keeps loathing about how the whole business is corrupted, and of course, she blames it on old sweet Chihiro...By the way nice to see you two making out in the open. See you have gotten past that awkward stage." Lin chucked a bit as she saw the facial expression of the two young spirits.

"We were not making out!" They both blurted at the same time, still on the ground with Haku on top and Chihiro on the bottom.

"Sure. Whatever you say. Well if you aren't going to keep making out, why is Haku still on top of you, Chihiro?"

"Whaaa-" Chihiro's face turned even more of a crimson color as she realized they were still in the same position. At that she quickly shoved Haku off and sat up with a nervous smile.

"Hehe. Don't know what you're talking about."

Haku pushed himself up and regained his composure. He looked from Chihiro to Lin to see the wave of friendly hate running between them. Haku gave a quick smirk, but he could still feel the heat on his face. The reason he was still blushing was beyond him.

"Chihiro there's no need to be embarrassed at young love. It's apart of love you two look at cute together cuddling like that." Lin kept throwing nags at Chihiro trying to annoy the girl. She was, after all, like a sister to her, so why not play the role.

If Chihiro's face could get anymore red, then it did. Her face was a full on flood of crimson; every inch covered in the cheeky crimson color.

"L-L-Lin! Shut up!" Chihiro cried as she tried shut the older spirit up. Rin smiled even wider as she got a good laugh out of Chihiro's expression.

"It's true. No need to be embarrassed Chihiro. Love is important. Now just go make out with Haku somewhere."

At that Haku glared at Lin, a snarl escaped between his canine teeth. He was getting annoyed at the "funny" remarks Lin was making. Of course it was like her to pop up at the most inconvenient times. After two weeks being gone she magically pops up again...Haku coouldn't understand the lady. As Haku snarled Lin looked over at the, soon to be, obstinate dragon. She could easily tell he was baring his canine's at her and she put her hands up in an innocent manner.

"Fine, fine. Dragon boy no need to rip my head off."

"You better," he said with a sigh and looked back at Chihiro. Her face was starting to become less red now; however, she was more enveloped on the conversation going on between Haku and Lin.

"Ummmm you two aren't going to kill each other right?"

"No..."

"Of course not..."

"..."

"Uh," said Chihiro. "What now?"

"We pretend that Lin never came. Ssshhh no more talking, you'll attract the unwanted crazy woman behind us," whispered Haku. He then grabbed Chihiro by the arm and walked her away from Lin was with a smirk on his face.

"Dragon boy I heard that!"

"That was the point!"

"Ummmm..."

"Haku! Let me talk to Chihiro! She's not all yours!"

"Yes she is mine. Isn't that right Chihiro?"

"Ummm...uhhh...well..."

"See you're making her nervous!"

"Shut up, Lin!"

Suddenly Haku and Lin were completely drenched with water, and they turned to see Chihiro and a wall of water floating behind her. An annoyed and exasperated face was expressed and she didn't look rather happy. She started to somewhat glare at the two nagging spirits who now looked confused.

"What was that for?!" they both cried simultaneously.

"Hearing you two nag made my head hurt, so I drenched you both. Was the only valid solution." Chihiro gace a shrug of hers shoulders and a shy smile.

* * *

Hana casually walked beside Kokatsuna. She glimpsed behind her to see Okami mumbling to himself. They had been walking for a good amount of time no, two hours at most. She had tied him up with roots and branches about an hour ago. She had noticed he had still be mumbling and glaring at her from behind. She could sense him directing a good amount of anger towards her, and for some funny reason, that brought a smirk to her face.

Picking on Okami had become a habit of Hana, of course Okami was the one who bugged her even more, but she did have to get back at him once in a while. Just because she seemed like a vulnerable light nature spirit, didn't mean she was going to take crap. Of course Okami was her friend, but sometimes his jokes just aggravated her to the brim.

As Hana continued to eye Okami he suddenly lifted his eyes as well. They locked eye contact for a few seconds, then Okami let out a _hmph_, and looked back down at the ground. Okami was pissed at the fact that Hana had tied him down with branches and roots. Then to make it worse, Kokatsuna laughed along with Hana which made him look like a total idiot. He did particularly deserve to be tied up because of what he did to Hana, but that girl just couldn't seem to take a simple joke.

Then again, it was _Hana._

"Are we there yet?" Okami looked up to see Hana was talking to Kokatsuna. He then saw Kokatsuna looked around a bit, then held up a finger.

"Give me a second." With that he shot into the air above the treeline. He was gone for a mere few seconds, then a voice called down from above. "We'll be there in about twenty minutes if we walk fast enough. The town is just a bit north of here. We just have to keep following the path."

With that Kokatsuna zipped back to Hana's side, causing some of the leaves on the trees to spray around them. A sudden wind ran through the trail and swept up the leaves before they could even touch the ground. The gentle wind seemed to ride up the trail, taking the leaves with it.

"Sounds good..." said Hana as she continued to watch the last of the leaves disappear.

Kokatsuna observed Hana as she watched the last of the leaves. Anything to do with nature attracted the girl. Even a simple leaf blowing in the wind would catch her eye, then force her to watch it until it was gone. He noticed that as they got farther into the forest Hana had become a lot less calmer then when they entered in. He knew that Hana just felt comfortable with all these nature and power surrounding her.

From then on they walked in silence. Hana staring up watch the light flicker and falter through the trees, Kokatsuna whistling quietly to him and Okami now looking a little less annoyed. Minutes continued to pass in silence as they walked the last twenty minutes of the path. Okami could tell that the treeline was opening up a bit more. Trees becoming less and less visible, and he could also sense Hana tightening up a bit.

A sigh escaped his lips. That girl was always so tense when she was leaving her native element; always wanting to be surrounded by the scenery and that idea of feeling safe. Maybe be he could make her feel safe...As soon as that thought crossed his mind he instantly pushed it away with such force. No. No. And No. There was no way he just thought that. Hana was just his friend; the one who he talked to and annoyed 99.9% of the time.

While Okami fought thoughts he wished he didn't have, Hana sensed a spike in something in the air. She concentrated on it and diverted it to Okami. She turned around to see him with a scrunched up, confused face. What she sensed was a sense of someone wanting to protect someone. Okami...wanting to protect someone...That made her laugh inside her head. Who the heck could Okami want to protect? The guys was annoying, less then Kokatsuna, but still annoying. He blurted out comments that shouldn't be said. Was this "someone" to protect a girl?

_'Probably' _she thought.

But she hadn't seen Okami with a girl, then again they hadn't really seen each other before Chihiro came along. There was the occasional drop by to say hi, but nothing more. So did he have a secret girl he was craving to see right now?

_'Probably'_

Did it seem like he wanted to protect her?

_'Probably'_

Did it seemed like she knew the girl?

_'Of course not.'_

Did she want that girl to be her?

_'Kind of'_

She then mentally paused at that. She then mentally smacked herself as well. hana couldn't believe that thought had just crossed her mind. She wanted Okami to protect her? She definitely thought she was about to go crazy. The guy with the short glistening purple hair, trained purple eyes, toned muscles...Hana then mentally smacked herself again and accidently let out a cry. Then following that she tripped over a rock and face planted into the ground. Why did everything bad have to happen to her?

As Hana looked up she saw two boys staring at her curiously. Okami had his head tilted to the side with a slightly worried face, but a smirk crossed his lips. Kokatsuna just stood there smiling.

"Someone getting a little too wrapped up in the nature them?" Said Kokatsuna.

"I think she was," said Okami speaking for the firs time in a while.

"No...uh...just happened to be thinking about something." Hana replied.

Hana was then lifted into the air, each boy holding one of her arms. She said thanks to Kokatsuna and looked over at Okami.

"Mr. Grumpy still angry?"

"Me," he said pointing to himself "stay angry? Staying angry is for losers, but I'm still not talking to you."

"Okami ser-"

"I'll beat you both there," he cried as he dashed off ahead of them.

"I guess this is a race now?" Kokatsuna asked.

"Guess s-" but Kokatsuna was already gone before Hana could reply. "Why did I decide to travel with them?"

* * *

Chirashi yawned as she watched the sun get higher in the sky. It was barely noon and she was still yawning. She had been up pretty early this morning though, but she wasn't usually so tired at this point. She leaned on a post waiting for Kokatsuna, Hana and Okami to arrive. she hadn't known why they chose to walk, but she highly doubted Kokatsuna could carry Hana and Okami, since they couldn't fly.

Zeniba's house got quite boring after a few hours and she decided to wait for the"lunatics" to get to the town. She glimpsed around the town for about the seventh time. It was a pretty normal town; stands, merchants, and markets all around. It looked more of a trading stop, but a town was a town.

Chirashi also watched little kids play with a ball a good hundred feet away. Smiles plastered their faces and they played with one another. The children reminded her of when her and the others, The Lost Ones, were kids. They used to be like that, except since they were gifted with much more extravagant powers. At that age they were blasting water at each other, and sending each other flying with the roots of they trees.

She could sense the children had the tiniest of powers, but the powers were still there nonetheless. The one with the dirty blond hair seemed to be the one with the most potential. He kind of looked like Kokatsuna to her. Same spiked brown hair, and same cocky face.

She laughed at that thought of more Kokatsuna's in the world. Little annoying powerful spirits running around creating havoc. Now if Kokatsuna mated with someone, there would surely be more miniature Kokatsuna's, but Chirashi's thoughts were interrupted at the sound of her name being called.

"Chrashi!" She turned her body slight, but a second later a cocky face was staring down at her. "What are you doing here?"

Her face erupted in a red tint, but pushed it away and sighed as she looked up at Kokatsuna.

"Came to see what you guys were doing. Now would you mind getting off of me?"

"No," he replied.

Okami and Hana walked up next to the two laughing.

"Nice to see ya Chirashi." called Okami. Hana gave a slight wave and shoved Kokatsuna off Chirashi. Hana then helped her up and looked around the town.

"This place is pretty normal." said Hana.

"Yeah," replied Okami.

But of course nothing was kept quiet for that long. A scream was heard up the toad from them. A sudden eruption of commotion bursted out through the town and all four Lost Ones turned to see what was going on.

"There's a filthy stench!"

"How did it get here?!"

"Get it out of here! It smells horrible."

All of them sprinted towards the commotion. They pushed through a crowd of spirits. As they reached the center of the crowd all of them stopped to a halt. There in the middle of the crowd was a teenage human, a girl to be exact. Her blond hair ran down her back, down to her low back. She looked around nervous and scared. She looked over at Okami, Kokatsuna, Hana, and Chrashi. The girl noticed they weren't running.

"Where am I?" she said with a trembling voice.

* * *

**Dun...dun...DUN! Cliffhanger :P I finished typing this, this morning. Wanted ot get this chapter out before my friend comes over, and I can't update it later. Some more romance between Hana and Okami sprouting ain't it? Also Kokatsuna and Chirashi?...Haku and Chihiro also being little kids after all and look who's back...Lin! She did disappear for a good twenty chapters, but she's back and here to stay for a good amount of time. Yubaba's still the same cruel old witch but my friends here so I'll see you guys next Sunday. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and...REVIEW!**


	45. Chapter 45 Human and Spirit

Lin talked with Chihiro, Haku, and Zeniba inside the house. No Face was getting some tea ready for the three spirits and the witch. Zeniba flicked her hand and plates and cups set themselves up on the table. The three spirits watched the display and also chatted amongst each other. Lin kept poking fun at Haku every few minutes but he tried to ignore her. While this was going on Chihiro just put her head in her hands and mumbled.

"Can they be any more annoying?" she said with a sigh. If only she could block out their voices for a few moments, but this sheering pain kept their voices off her mind. There was a pain in her chest that had gotten her attention about a good twenty minutes ago.

Chihiro could only describe it as a pulse; going and coming every few seconds. It was like a vein pumping blood, except this was a striking pain that was increasing in her chest. Chihiro decided to keep it from the others, but now that it was getting greater, she was thinking about telling them. This kind of occurrence had happened before, but only when someone was in danger or something was happening.

_'Wait'_she thought. _'This is familiar.'_

Suddenly a quick five second memory popped into her head. It was a rather frivolous one, but along with the memory, came that agonizing feeling, five times greater then the one she already had. Chihiro saw a glimpse of herself keeling over in pain, but she was telling the others there was an emergency. Could this pain be signaling something? It had popped out of nowhere and it did feel similar to the one in the memory. Chihiro lifted her head from her hands and looked around the room contemplating on whether or not she should tell Haku what was going on.

While Chihiro was thinking, Haku continued to bicker with Lin. He rolled his eyes at what she had previously said. Her comments were beginning to aggravate him increasingly. Lin continued to make her comments, but Haku sensed something. He looked over at Chihiro and saw her in deep thought.

_'Something's wrong...'_

"Chihiro, you okay?" Haku asked.

Chihiro then looked up and glanced at Haku. He could instantly read her eyes, and saw something was wrong. Her facial expression even gave off the hint that something was aloof. His senses honed in on her, and he tried to pick out what was going on with her, but there was no need since she spoke.

"Haku...I think something's wrong..."

Haku cast his gaze towards her eyes and started to look confused.

"What do you mean something's wrong?" he gestured toward her.

"There's this pain in my chest...This memory...something's happening right now. I think something is happening to Chirashi, Kokatsuna, Hana, and Okami..."

Haku could hear in Chihiro's voice that she wasn't lying. He could tell she was telling the truth, but why was she having that pain in her chest. He suddenly remembered Rapisu used to get the same thing. Whenever a bad event or occurrence was going to take place, she would get the raging pulsation that wouldn't go away. Lin glanced over at Haku and Chihiro then to Zeniba. Both Lin and Zeniba were now concentrated on what Chihiro was speaking about.

They eyed her, but Haku was the one who really had his full and sole attention on her. Haku could now see her hands gripping her chest, and a feeling of worry started to kick in. It was worry for her, and for the others. He hated that she would get these pains, or used to when she was Rapisu, but they used to drive Rapisu crazy. Haku quickly stood, pushing his chair back in the process. Chihiro, Lin, Zeniba, and No Face looked at Haku with wide and confused eyes.

"Dragon boy, where are you going?" asked Lin.

"Did you not just hear what Chihiro said?" said Haku with a rather stern voice. "She said the others are in trouble, or something's wrong. We have to help them."

"Haku it could just be-"

"No, Lin. Rapisu used to get the same things; the same old pulsations and pains. It usually meant something bad was happening, and I highly doubt Chihiro's fooling around. We have to get to them now."

With that Chihiro stood as well, and looked from Lin to Haku. Zeniba just leaned back and observed the enveloping conversation. She knew she had no reason to interfere because Haku knew what he was dealing with. The dragon was old enough to deal with problems like this, and intervening would just lessen him growing up and gaining more knowledge.

"Haku's right. I'm not lying and we need to get to them. I don't think any of them are hurt, but there's something going on that we need to check out. "

Haku gave Chihiro a slight smile and then they both looked over at Lin simultaneously.

"What?"

"You coming?" asked Haku.

"Come on, Lin. You should join us. Beats staying the house all day." said Chihiro with a quirky smile, despite the pain in her chest.

Lin looked over at Zeniba, then to Haku. With that she gave a shrug of her shoulders and stood up. She knew staying at the house all day with the witch would probably bring her to her death bed, no offense to the witch though. She hadn't been out for some real fun in a while, and going with Haku and Chihiro could be a thrilling experience for her.

"Let's go before anything else happens."

"Yeah...we better..." muttered Chihiro, who was now keeling over a bit more in pain. The girl was seemingly getting worse by every passing minute.

"Can you even make it there, Chihiro?" Haku eyed Chihiro with concern, but she gave a slight nod. Chihiro wasn't going to let some aching in her chest stop her from saving her friends.

"Let's go now, and Zeniba, thank you for housing us for the past two weeks." Haku gave a slight bow and Zeniba returned the gesture with a smile.

"It's been my pleasure, but make sure you get there in time. And Haku," said Zeniba.

"Yes?"

"If Chihiro gets hurt again, you'll be having my old wrinkled finger down your throat. Got it?"

"Uh...Yes ma'am?"

Chihiro and Lin both let out an exasperating laugh, but headed towards the door. Haku then rolled his eyes and followed after the two girls. Haku and Chihiro immediately turned into dragons, but looked back to see Lin just standing there.

"Uh...I can't fly..."

_'I know, Lin. Hop on my back.'_ said Chihiro telepathically.

"Goody, Goody. I get to ride on Chihiro's back. I'll probably end up flying of halfway through the ride."

_'Lin be quiet before I actually do, do that.'_ thought with a chuckle.

Lin let out a sigh and Haku whipped her with his tail Lin let out a yelp and yelled at the emerald dragon. Haku smiled, baring all his canine's, and breathed a huff of air out through his nose. Messing with the weasel demon was rather fun. Haku and Chihiro contemplated on which way they were supposed to go. They did hear they were going to one of the merchant towns a good twenty miles from here. They were walking, but knowing them they wouldn't have walked rather slowly. They might have flown a little on the way, but Haku knew the path to the town.

With that he planted a foot forward, slowly sinking into the mud, then he sprang into the air. A rush of scales glided past him as he rose higher and higher. The scales reflected the rising sun, giving an image of falling raindrops as they flawlessly drifted towards the ground. Chihiro then looked back at Zeniba's house one last time. Smoke billowed through the chimney into the morning air, and she could smell the baked goods cooking in the oven. With a sigh she followed the same movements as Haku, except she shot off like a rocket once they hit complete air.

"YOU CRAZY DRAGON!" screamed Lin furiously as she almost lost her grip on Chihiro's mane.

_'I told you to hold on, didn't I?'_said Chihiro looked at Lin out of the corner of her eye.

"No you never did!" she wailed through the wind. "And you could've let me know if you were going to shoot off like that!"

_'Now where would the fun be in that?'_

"You are turning out to be exactly like Haku!"

_'That a compliment?_'

* * *

All four spirits stared at the teenage, human girl in the middle of the marketplace. They looked at her curiously, but all the girl could do was tremble. She did look like a teenager for sure, but she couldn't be any older then thirteen. Her eyes were wide with fear, and who wouldn't be scared when they were surrounded by things they hadn't seen before?

Okami eyed the girl curiously and slowly walked up to her. The girl looked at Okami and started to back away. Her feet pressed against the damp, muddy ground, but her footing was off. A second later she ended up tripping and falling in a puddle of mud like water.

"You don't need to be afraid," said Okami calmly midst the loud screaming and clearing crowd.

Hana watched as Okami approached the girl; calm and soothing was his voice. Hana smiled slightly and walked up beside Okami. She knelt down in front fo the girl and offered a hand.

"We aren't here to hurt you. We want to help."

The girl hesitantly looked from Hana to Okami then to Hana's hand. A shaky hand reached out and grasped Hana's. The girl was suddenly lift up out of the mud by Hana and was greeted with a soft smile. Kokatsuna and Chirashi had no walked up behind Okami and Hana. They examined the girl and offered soft smiles as well, but they had to get the girl out of here. She couldn't remain here. Her staying would cause trouble and upheaval.

Hana whispered a few words to the girl and the girl slightly nodded, but was still hesitant with staying around these spirits. She judged them to be safe, but she no idea if they were going to kidnap her or anything along those lines.

"We need to get her out of here." Hana quietly whispered to Okami.

"I know, but where are we going to bring her? If we keep standing here spirits are going to begin suspecting stuff."

Chirashi walked up beside the two.

"Probably half these spirits think we're crazy. They probably don't think we're even real. Last time I talked to a spirit they had thought our group was dead years."

Hana and Okami gave a nod towards Chirashi.

"Anyone know where we can bring her and quick? There's going to be spirits here soon that want to kill her. Her stench is rather intoxicating at the moment," said Hana to Okami.

"My old place isn't too far from here, a good ten miles. If we have Chirashi or Kokatsuna fly her there, it should be like a 30 minute ride, if they fly at a safe speed for her. We don't want the poor girl getting knocked off or something at an unsafe speed." Okami looked at Chirashi and Hana. They seemed to agree and Kokatsuna gave a thumbs up at he coaxed the girl behind them.

"Should we turn her invisible?" Kokatsuna asked.

"Would be a good idea, but we have no way to block out her scent." Chirashi stated.

"Then let's just get her to safety first, then worry about to scent later." Okami mumbled and move towards the girl.

Okami began to address that they didn't have much time. They needed to get her somewhere safe as fast as possible, or else more trouble was going to come. The girl nodded slightly and looked around at the screaming spirits. She knew this was probably her best shot at getting to somewhere safe.

"Please just get me out of here she said quietly." She whispered to Okami and he led her over to Chirashi.

"Chirashi take her on your back, and we'll meet you at my old place. You know where it is right?"

"Of course I do. I have been there so many times silly." Chirashi gave a thumbs up and transformed into her spirit form. An ancient bird stood there a few moments later looking down on the girl.

_'No need to be afraid,'_Chirashi said telepathically. _'I will make sure you won't fall off and that we get you to safety. Just hop on my back.'_

The girl walked forward towards Chirashi and ran her hand over her feathers.

"Are you speaking to me telepathically?" The girl said quietly.

_'Yes, now hop on so I can get you out of here.'_

The young girl reached forward and pulled herself up onto Chirashi. She positioned herself on the center of Chirashi's back, in between her wings. The girl kept running her hands over Chirashi's feathers. She had never felt anything so soft and smooth in her life. It was like touching a cloud, existent but so heavenly you couldn't bear not to touch it. The teenage girl wrapped her arms around Chirashi's neck and clasped her hands tightly together on the other side. She nestled her head into Chirashi's neck and felt Chirashi's lift off a second later.

_'Just hang on,'_heard the girl.

Kokatsuna, Hana and Okami looked at each other. They quickly turned into their spirits forms and followed Chirashi's trail. Kokatsuna took to the skies while Okami and Hana we bound to the ground. They dashed off to Okami's old house a good ways from the town. But would the distance be great enough to keep the teenage girl from getting involved in danger and trouble?

* * *

Chihiro flew over a vast forest, with Lin on her back and Haku following close by. The pain within her hadn't died down one bit, but it seemed to be pulling her somewhere. Chihiro just followed her senses and flew through the air in the direction she felt most comfortable. They had passed over small villages and towns on the way, along with the vast ocean that covered a small proportion of the Spirit World.

Chihiro had not gotten to see the full vastness of this world, but what she was seeing now told her it was bigger then she could've ever imagined. When she arrived her five years before, all she got to see was the small glimpse of the bathhouse and Swamp Bottom. She had always wondered what had lied outside those areas. Now she could see villages in the most obvious of places and forests that ran for miles, which probably held secrets that were never to be told. This world was probably more dangerous than the human world could be, in its own ways at least.

Sure the human world was dangerous with criminals and wars, but it didn't have beings that could kill you with a whip of water, or the roots of the trees. It didn't have enemies that had the power to split two connected worlds forever. She now realized how safe she had been back then, and the danger was now brought back to her since she has arrived three weeks ago.

It had only hit her that she had been here for three weeks and no more. It had felt like she had been here for an eternity, but she hadn't. Chihiro lt out a sigh and continued to fly with these thoughts running through her head. Right now she would've probably been in school learning, but instead she was a dragon flying to save someone's life. Two totally different things and it had changed within a matter of weeks.

Chihiro's eye concentrated on the grounds below and continued to scan for anything out of the ordinary. Suddenly a town, or what looked like a marketplace, was bustling with people; some screaming and others throwing out complaints she couldn't make out. The pain had died down a bit now that she noticed, but it wasn't completely gone.

Chihiro looked out of her eye at Haku and gave a hint towards the ground. Haku could the hint and banked to the right, diving towards the ground at an immense speed. Lin soon realized what Chihiro was about to do, and tried to say something, but all she could do was scream.

"CHIHIRO!"

* * *

**Hello everyone out there! Next chapter is up :) Hope this one ain't toooooo shabby. Not a lot of romance, if any, but story line forming itself a bit more. Surprises me that I'm only about like 5,000 words away from 100,000 words. I want to thank everyone for sticking with me as always. I am so happy that this story is at 142 reviews! Thank you so much! I am kind of in the middle of doing a good amount of homework, and yes on the weekend :P, but I'll do a review response next chapter. Now let's see if we can get to 150 reviews...Well REVIEW! Thanks again and see you guys next Sunday :D**


	46. Chapter 46 Inconsistent

"So four odd looking spirits passed through here?" said Chihiro was a smirking face. Even other spirits called Kokatsuna, Chirashi, Hana and Okami odd.

"Yes ma'am," said a spirit frantically. "They felt very powerful, maybe gods even. Their spirits forms were ones I haven't seen in quite a while, but what surprised me was that they took the human girl with them! Her stench was absolutely atrocious! I don't get how they stood it."

A shiver ran down Chihiro's back at those last two comments. She remembered when she had gone to the bathhouse five years ago. The spirits strongly complained of her smell, as if it was the end of the world. Now Chihiro could understand what they were saying. Her nose picked up a scent that was rather unpleasant, reeking in what smelled the sewage dump. She definitely agreed that the stench was appalling, but that wasn't the case right now.

"Do you know which way they went?" Haku chimed in, a hand ruffling his hair at the same time.

The petite spirit brought a hand up to his chin, thinking for a second, then pointed northwest.

"They went that way. The human girl, I think, was on one of their backs. It looked like some bird thing, haven't seen it before. The others transformed and followed soon after, they arrived quickly as they were gone."

Chihiro and Haku looked at each other and gave a slight nod. They had gotten the information they needed, and now the hard part was finding where they were. Sure Chihiro could sense when someone was in trouble, but the pain seemed to have died down over the last few minutes. It dissipated like fog, but it was still there.

"So are we going after them?" Lin asked. She stood a few feet away from the three spirits tapping her foot. She thought this trip was going to be "fun", but it was turning out to be tea time. Chihiro and Haku had been talking with that spirit for what seemed like forever. Lin wasn't one that was likely to wait long, and them talking wasn't helping.

Haku and Chihiro turned to face Rin. Both their looks was suppoed to make Lin shut up, but f course Lin was a feisty one, and nothing was going to keep her down. Lin gave a "What?" kind of look. Chihiro saw this and rolled her eyes. Having Lin with her was bot a course and blessing at the same time. Right now it was a curse indeed.

They were trying to find information and all she was doing was nagging that they should go. Did she not understand that in order to go find the others they needed information first? Chihiro gave Lin a stern look and Lin decided to keep her mouth shut, but that didn't stop her from tapping her foot impatiently.

"Are you sure they went that way?" asked Haku.

"I'm positive," replied the small spirit. He seemed to eye Haku and Chihiro a little more now. "Why are you so concerned anyway? Is this human of importance? Who would want a human, they are fifthly and disgusting."

Chihiro cringed at this mentally, but let out a sigh.

"We're just trying to do what's right," stated Chihiro.

"If so, why would you want a human? They're a vermin to this world, and they're killing the Earth itself."

"Without them we wouldn't exist, and without us they wouldn't exist. We all need each other to coincide and live. However, it is not healthy for humans to dwell in this world because they wouldn't survive that long. Sttill, that doesn't give you the reason to ridicule them." Haku said this as bluntly as possible and Chihiro stared at him with wide eyes. She couldn't believe he had just said that.

"What do you know about humans?"

"I was once one," Chihiro said with a stern look. The small spirit turned and gaped at her, the burst out laughing.

"That is probably the funniest thing I have heard in my lifetime. You a human? That's not possible. There are rumors going around that there was one spirit who can say that, and you are definitely not her. You seem so weak and fragile to possibly hurt me."

The spirit seemed to be challenging Chihiro, and Haku didn't like it one bit. His lips curled back and canine's showed. His hands began to clench and his eyes dilate. Chihiro noticed this and put a hand to his chest.

"Stay back," she whispered. "I can handle this."

"But he's challenging you like he doesn't know who you are."

"Then let him do so. I shall simply show him who I am. There is no need to bring violence into this. He is simply misunderstanding the situation." Chihiro then blinked a few times and realized what she just said. The words that came out of her mouth wouldn't normally be like that. Haku sensed this as well and looked at her out of the corner of his eye.

"You just sounded like..."

"Rapisu."

"Did you just say Rapisu?" said the small spirit.

All Chihiro did was look at the small spirit and suddenly a light enveloped her. A second later, a dragon stood there, strong and powerful. She looked down at the small spirit with kind, but stern eyes. Her red fur whipped in the wind and her horns reflected the sun. The small spirit stumbled back a few feet and fell to the ground in a cloud of smoke. He started to immediately push himself back, scrambling away.

"You...you can't be."

_"If I'm that mysterious...Yes I am her._"

"Where have you even been? You disappeared so long ago."

_"That is information that is not important to this matter, but what I said before is true. I was once a human, but no longer."_

"Are you sure?" the small spirit said. "Maybe someone did something to your mind."

_"I am aware of my previous state, and I know that I am sure. Nothing of that sort is affecting my memory at the moment."_

Chihiro then changed back as quickly as she had turned into a dragon. Haku stood at her side with balled fists, glaring at the small spirit with piercing emerald eyes.

"Don't judge others when you haven't lived in their shoes," Haku said with a snarl.

"Haku," said Chihiro with a worried stern voice. "Don't worry he's not going to hurt me, and please just calm down again."

Haku let out a sigh as he took a few steps away from the spirit. Chihiro then gave him a smile and a nod. She conversed with the frightened spirit for a few more minutes. You could see his small body trembling and Chihiro trying to get used to this new side of her that she wasn't really used to.

Lin continued to tap her foot as she grew more impatient, but a smile appeared on her face when she waved the small spirit goodbye.

"We're going now," said Chihiro.

"The heavens have answered my prayers!" cried Lin.

"Lin could you be anymore obnoxious?"

"Yes, yes I can dragon boy."

"It was a rhetorical question." he said flatly.

"Oh, was it now?" said Lin with a laugh.

Haku and Lin started to bicker again and Chihiro covered her face with her hands. Could these two spirits get any more annoying?

* * *

"This place is cool," said Kokatsuna. He ran his hands along the side of Okami's shack in awe. He hadn't been her in a thousand years or so.

"I haven't been to this place in over three thousand years. Not as good as I remembered it." Hana continued to mumble as she looked around.

"Oh don't be so sullen."

Okami came up behind Hana and gave her a pat on the back. Hana rolled her eyes and stepped away from Okami. She really didn't need his annoying "demeanor" at the moment. Their main concern was the teenage human girl they had on their hands.

Chirashi walked up to the house, with the teenage girl trailing behind her. The teenage girl looked a little flustered by the whole point of riding on an ancient bird, but she seemed a bit more comfortable around them now. She still did shy away from their touch, but she was a rather brave person it seemed.

"Where are we?" she asked quietly.

"We are at my old place. Haven't been here in some time, but it's completely safe." Okami walked up beside the girl and lowered himself to her eye level. "You be fine here, trust me."

The girl gave a nod and looked back at the house. The place seemed to have a coy feeling to it, and she walked towards it.

"You think Chihiro and Haku are coming?" whispered Chirashi to Kokatsuna.

"I would think, but I don't know for sure...I hope they get here soon."

"Me too."

* * *

**Hey guys! Sorry if this was a short chapter. I have been on vacation this weekend and going to Frightfest today in like an hour. Wanted to chug this out before it gets too late later. If I'm up to it I will post another chapter tomorrow that's around the same length, so it isn't just this short thing. Thanks you so much for everyone that reviewed and favorited! See ya soon!**


	47. Important Message(Author Note)

**Hey guys! I'm so sorry I haven't updated in like 3 or 4 weeks. I have just been really busy. I haven't even been home this weekend due to ninjutsu training and tournaments. Other weekends I was out with the family, and during the week I had a good amount of hw. I was planning on giving you guys a nice 6,000 word chapter, but of course I'm getting hit with Hurricane Sandy tomorrow and Tuesday. Anyone on the East Coast knows what I'm talking about. I'll see if I can get a chapter out tonight, but I doubt it. The next chapter will most likely be posted next Friday.**

**I am going to provide you with an excerpt though, and hope this holds you guys off till next weekend! Hope you guys like it and see you soon! Thank you for everyone that has reviewed and such! Thank you!**

* * *

'_Chihiro please make that weasel be quiet. It's rather annoying hearing her nagging, while I'm trying to concentrate on flying.'_

_"_You better shut up, dragon boy! I can hear you, if you remember!" Lin yelled from Chihiro's back and then she mumbled. "I swear I'm going to strangle him so bad."

_'I heard that, Lin.' _Haku looked over at Lin with a sneer and sly look on his face.

"Haku! You idiot dragon!" Lin gripped Chihiro's mane in annoyance, but completely forgot she was on Chihiro's back at the same time. Chihiro ended up letting out a yelp in the form of a roar. She twisted her body a bit, almost flipping Lin off in the process.

"AH!" Lin screamed as her body was thrown from side to side. "Chihiro stop it!"

_'Let go of my mane then!' _Chihiro cried telepathically.

Lin let go of Chihiro's mane and quickly grabbed onto Chihiro's slim neck before she could get thrown off. As Lin and Chihiro resolved there problem, Haku couldn't help but laugh. Since he was in his dragon form, laughing sounded more like wheezing, but it was still a laugh and that earned a stern look from Lin.

_'Aw look I'm ge-'_

_'Haku, shut it.'_

_'But...'_

_'It's annoying. I don't remember you being like this at all five years ago. Who knew you could turn out to be such an aggravating person.'_

_'Hey...That's mean. I have always been like this. Serious when I need to be, caring when I'm around you, and annoying when Lin is near.'_

Chihiro secretly blushed at the "caring" part Haku mentioned, meanwhile Lin rolled her eyes. They continued to fly, the wind blowing past all three of them in a peaceful manner. Haku bickered with Lin from time to time as they flew, and Chihiro remained in her own little domain of thought. Her mind seemed to drift back and forth between now and the past, nostalgia was starting to hit her again.

Haku glanced over at Chihiro as all three of them fell silent. He noticed her eyes were focused on flying, but her facial expression told a different story. He decided against speaking to her, that it was better to leave her alone, but he was curious as to what she was thinking. The always seemed to be something on Chihiro's mind. Never once did she seem to have empty thoughts; however, some thoughts would bring smiles while others would bring grimaces.

Haku just let out a sigh and kept flying next to Chihiro. Every once in a while he continued to glance over at her and Lin. The minutes continued to pass and his mind just drifted to the land and clouds in front of him. Lin looked out at this as well, but awe filled her fully. She had never been this high in the sky in her entire life. The sun's rays filled the land below, and it was it's quintessence while bringing life and health to the millions of lives below. She could see the trees green color from far up above. They acted like a blanket, carefully outlying every inch of earth beneath it.

Lin continued to eye the land and watch the clouds pass them by. A soft smile appeared on her face as a content feeling filled her. She just felt at peace flying like this now, of course that Haku wasn't mocking her anymore. She wouldn't have imagined life being like this five years later. She wouldn't have dreamed the weak little human girl would've turned out to be a mighty powerful spirit. One that was still a human at heart, but now had a courage that was beyond capability.

_'Who would've thought this weak human girl would become a dragon of this status...' _A soft chuckle escaped Lin's lips as she let her eyes start to drift close and the wind kept passing her by.

* * *

"You have to be kidding me." Hana said as she continued to look around Okami's house. This is what he called his "shack". This so called "shack" turned out to be one of the most beautifully decorated places she had ever seen. It looked like he kept it clean, or had someone clean it 24/7.

The human girl trailed in behind her with wide eyes. She couldn't believe what the place looked like. The teenage girl did seem to cower away from everyone a bit though, despite how kind and compassionate they had been towards her in the last hour or so.

She was still rather confused about everything that had happened. She remembered walking with her mother through a nature trail. She and her mother watched the sun stream through the broken cracks in the canopy of the trees, and heard various birds chirping. Her and her mother had been conversing about what had happened earlier that day, then suddenly the girl seemed to become dizzy. The setting around her had become distorted, and colors had started to fade.


	48. Chapter 48 Revelations Part 1

'_Chihiro please make that weasel be quiet. It's rather annoying hearing her nagging, while I'm trying to concentrate on flying.'_

_"_You better shut up, dragon boy! I can hear you, if you remember!" Lin yelled from Chihiro's back and then she mumbled. "I swear I'm going to strangle him so bad."

_'I heard that, Lin.' _Haku looked over at Lin with a sneer and sly look on his face.

"Haku! You idiot dragon!" Lin gripped Chihiro's mane in annoyance, but completely forgot she was on Chihiro's back at the same time. Chihiro ended up letting out a yelp in the form of a roar. She twisted her body a bit, almost flipping Lin off in the process.

"AH!" Lin screamed as her body was thrown from side to side. "Chihiro stop it!"

_'Let go of my mane then!' _Chihiro cried telepathically.

Lin let go of Chihiro's mane and quickly grabbed onto Chihiro's slim neck before she could get thrown off. As Lin and Chihiro resolved there problem, Haku couldn't help but laugh. Since he was in his dragon form, laughing sounded more like wheezing, but it was still a laugh and that earned a stern look from Lin.

_'Aw look I'm ge-'_

_'Haku, shut it.' _

_'But...'_

_'It's annoying. I don't remember you being like this at all five years ago. Who knew you could turn out to be such an aggravating person.'_

_'Hey...That's mean. I have always been like this. Serious when I need to be, caring when I'm around you, and annoying when Lin is near.'_

Chihiro secretly blushed at the "caring" part Haku mentioned, meanwhile Lin rolled her eyes. They continued to fly, the wind blowing past all three of them in a peaceful manner. Haku bickered with Lin from time to time as they flew, and Chihiro remained in her own little domain of thought. Her mind seemed to drift back and forth between now and the past, nostalgia was starting to hit her again.

Haku glanced over at Chihiro as all three of them fell silent. He noticed her eyes were focused on flying, but her facial expression told a different story. He decided against speaking to her, that it was better to leave her alone, but he was curious as to what she was thinking. The always seemed to be something on Chihiro's mind. Never once did she seem to have empty thoughts; however, some thoughts would bring smiles while others would bring grimaces.

Haku just let out a sigh and kept flying next to Chihiro. Every once in a while he continued to glance over at her and Lin. The minutes continued to pass and his mind just drifted to the land and clouds in front of him. Lin looked out at this as well, but awe filled her fully. She had never been this high in the sky in her entire life. The sun's rays filled the land below, and it was it's quintessence while bringing life and health to the millions of lives below. She could see the trees green color from far up above. They acted like a blanket, carefully outlying every inch of earth beneath it.

Lin continued to eye the land and watch the clouds pass them by. A soft smile appeared on her face as a content feeling filled her. She just felt at peace flying like this now, of course that Haku wasn't mocking her anymore. She wouldn't have imagined life being like this five years later. She wouldn't have dreamed the weak little human girl would've turned out to be a mighty powerful spirit. One that was still a human at heart, but now had a courage that was beyond capability.

_'Who would've thought this weak human girl would become a dragon of this status...' _A soft chuckle escaped Lin's lips as she let her eyes start to drift close and the wind kept passing her by.

* * *

"You have to be kidding me." Hana said as she continued to look around Okami's house. This is what he called his "shack". This so called "shack" turned out to be one of the most beautifully decorated places she had ever seen. It looked like he kept it clean, or had someone clean it 24/7.

The human girl trailed in behind her with wide eyes. She couldn't believe what the place looked like. The teenage girl did seem to cower away from everyone a bit though, despite how kind and compassionate they had been towards her in the last hour or so.

She was still rather confused about everything that had happened. She remembered walking with her mother through a nature trail. She and her mother watched the sun stream through the broken cracks in the canopy of the trees, and heard various birds chirping. Her and her mother had been conversing about what had happened earlier that day, then suddenly the girl seemed to become dizzy. The setting around her had become distorted, and colors had started to fade.

It seemed like everything became central around this one point, and the girl had just continued to stare at it. Her mother had started to fade as well, but the girl seemed to be the only thing that was impervious to the changes around her. The trees continued to melt away, and the grass around that area turned into dampened puddles, like smeared paint on a canvas. The chirping of the birds had begun to fade as well, but they had slowed and had become rather besmirched.

The teenager's head had started to hurt; however, that was the only sign of any medical problems happening to her body. The girl had turned, due to fright, to see where he mother had been, but by the time she looked back her mother was gone. Everything around her was smeared and distorted to the highest level. Although, the only thing keeping her from fainting was this loud, pinging ring inside her head.

This pinging sound forced the girl to crumble to the grounds and her hands gripped her head in hopes of making it stop. Still everything continued to go to ruin and now the background was just brown muddled colors. Nothing seemed life like anymore; nothing seemed ordinary or normal about this at all.

The last thing the girl remembered seeing and hearing was this black enveloping hole in front of her, and the high pitched sound. After that moment her mind went blank and her body limp. The next thing she knew she was waking up in the middle of an unknown forest with a coursing stream beside her. Out of fear the girl staggered back and started to panic. Her chest rose and fell with exasperation.

As she continued to look around the house, these short striking pieces had started to fall back into place. She started to remember why she had ended up here in this "untouchable" world with these beings. Her mind couldn't wrap around it quite yet, but these pieces made her shiver.

_'Was, or is this all a dream?' _she thought. _'None of it seems real at all...This place...These...people...They can't be real...What human has purple hair...What human can change into that...that bird thing at will...Are they going to hurt me? Eat me up?...They seem nice enough, but maybe it's just a ploy.'_

The girl remained flustered by the whole situation, and Hana noticed this. She seemed to be in this "standby" mode; not moving or making eye contact with anyone. Hana knew, and could sense, the girl still wasn't fully comfortable with the whole situation, but at least she could talk to them, help them understand what happened to her.

Hana slowly walked up beside the girl and put a hand on her shoulder. Immediately the teenager snapped out of her trance and looked at Hana. Hana had put on a soft smile, trying to seem as nice as possible. She didn't want to scare the girl off or frighten her.

"You seem to be thinking a little there," said Hana with a slight laugh.

"Yeah..." the girl replied with a whisper.

"Homesick I'm guessing?"

The girl just replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Mind telling me what your name is? The others and I keep calling you 'that girl'. It would be nice to place a name to a beautiful creature.'

The girl face flushed a bit, and turned bright red at the same time. No one had really called her beautiful before, but she was rather a vivid creature. A slender, healthy body, with flowing brunette hair. She also contained these unearthly green eyes that seemed to pier right into you. The girl stood there for a moment, but then proceeded to open her mouth.

"My name is...Aria." The girl looked at Hana for a response, and Hana replied with a bigger smile.

"The name fits you as well as you do. That name is also one of the name of the supposed High Gods...You should be grateful to have such a name."

"Why...thank you..." she said stumbling over her words a bit.

Hana gave the girl a pat on the shoulder and told her to sit on the couch across the room. The girl gave a nod and let her feet walk her to the other side of the room. She let her hand run over the fabric covering the couch before sitting. The fabric was so ornate and soft, she had never seen anything like it.

The teenager continued to observe the room around her, and a sense of warmth radiated from it. She no longer felt as agitated as before. The girl had now started to watch the other conversing on the other side of the room.

_'I wonder what they're talking about...'_

* * *

"What are we supposed to do with her? How did she even end up here? Sure they're humans that wander into the Spirit Realm, but that's like once every 100 years or so. Wasn't there one that wandered in about last year or so? Okami you were the one to handle that right?" Hana looked over at Okami and he gave a slight nod.

He had been in his own trance for the past few minutes, glancing around his "shack" and Hana. This weird feeling kept coming over him, and it was just the urge to glance at Hana every once in a while. There was something forcing him to look at her, but he tried to pay no mind to it.

"The last human to enter in was last year around the dead of spring. The mating season was in full motion by the time the child wandered in. He was barely, by human standards, seven years old. The poor thing was wailing and crying for his mom. It didn't take me much time, maybe two or three days, to get him back to the human world. I had to work out some kinks and stuff, so he would forget about this world, but it wasn't that bad. I'm just worried this child is the result of something Kaze is causing. A human wandering in a year after another is highly unlikely. It's the turn of the Autumn season now, so it's a little bit over a year, but still the same nonetheless."

"Yeah...it probably has something to do with Kaze." Hana replied back to Okami and look towards the girl. Her facial expression became distant for a second as she watched the girl on the couch.

Okami again caught himself looking at Hana. The way her expression was placid and her face in a perfect setting. Her green hair tumbling down her back, and her green eyes looking into the beyond.

_'Someone's hitting on Hana," _Okami heard in his head. He swiftly turned his head to see Kokatsuna smirking.

_'What are you talking about?!' _Okami yelled back telepathically.

_'You're clearly staring at her like she's the jewel of your eye. Your basically watching her and drooling.'_

_'Am not!'_

_'Yup you are. No need to deny it.'_

_'Why would I do that?! She's just my friend!'_

_'Uh huh sure...Smooch smooch.'_

_'Kokatuna I swear I'm going to whack you over the head...' _Okami paused for a moment then smiled. _'What about you and Chirashi huh?'_

_'Oh don't even go there.'_

The two continued their mental battle, and Chirashi could see something was up between the two. She decided in the end it was just best if she stayed out of it. Getting involved with boys and their arguments was the last thing she was worried about. Chrashi walked up beside Hana and put a hand on her shoulder.

"What do you want to do about her?"

"Her name is Aria, and I think we should keep her here for now until we can conclude what we really want to do. We could send her back, but more humans could be coming through the barrier. Haku and Chihiro would know what to do."

Chrashi gave a nod and looked towards Aria. She just sat there peacefully looked around the room; however, her hands were clenched at her sit, while slightly shaking. Chrashi could tell Aria still wasn't all that comfortable. She wouldn't be either if she ended up in a place she didn't feel comfortable in.

"I'm hoping they'll be here soon." With that Chirashi glanced towards the window and let out a sigh

* * *

"Master," called a small spirit racing behind a taller one. "What are we supposed to do next? It has been confirmed that a human has wandered into the Spirit Realm."

"So?" said the taller spirit with long blonde hair. "My plan is in motion then it is not? Inform me when something important occurs. Not that a puny human has wandered through. When a ton of them come through, now that's something important. The more of them that wander through, the better. The more free will I will have, and the High Gods will control me no longer."

"Lord Kaze...the High Gods exceed you in power do they not?" The spirit realized what he said and quickly backed away.

"Hmph," he said with a smirk. "You think that don't you? I was created for sole purpose to protect spirits, but the god given power to control such powers as well. You think of me as weak? I am not as weak as you are, or you would no be here. Am I not correct?"

"Yes..." said the spirit. "Y-y-yes you're right, sir."

"Good," Kaze said with a smile. "Because next time you say such a thing your head will be upon upon my wall. Got it?"

"Yes, sir."

"Okay then." With that Kaze glided down the hall and disappeared.

* * *

_'There's Okami's shack,' _said Haku telepathically.

Chihiro looked down out of the corner of her eye and saw the so called "shack".

_'You're kidding right? That's what you call a shack? That place looks like a mansion.' _

_'Well Okami considers it a shack...'_

_'Then Okami must be extremely rich.' _Chihiro looked at Lin out of the corner of her eye and gave her a signal. Chihiro then suddenly dipped and flew towards the house below. Lin held on with all her might as the wind ripped around her. Her eyes became blurry as Chihiro's fur blinded her eyes a bit. They had been flying for some time now, and it was getting to the point that Lin was drifting off to sleep. Chihiro's breathing was slowly putting her to sleep, but she was jolted awake by her landing.

The thud of her claws on the ground was rather unpleasant. It seemed Chihiro hadn't had much practice with landing because Haku landed with such ease. Chihiro shifted her body a bit, and stretched out her legs. Her tail whipped around as she watch Haku turn into his human form.

Lin then slipped off Chihiro's back and landed on the ground with ease. Her hair settling on her back as it was before; however, it was still perfect and neat before the started flying through the air. Lin arched her back in attempt to stretch it, and it was useful in the end. Haku walked past Lin and gave her a nod as he headed towards Chihiro. As soon as he was within a few feet of her, she changed back into her normal body.

Chihiro let out a yawn and her legs felt as if they were nonexistent. She shook them out a few times hoping they would wake up. Haku let out a smirk, and flicked his hands. Chihiro's legs glowed a light blue for a second, then it disappeared. She moved them once again and they were back to their normal state.

"Thanks Haku."

"No problem, Chihiro." He gently ruffled her hair and looked towards Okami's "shack to see Kokatsuna standing there. "Oh lord," he mumbled.

"You're here!" Kokatsuna cried as he dashed towards them.

"Someone please save me," said Chihiro as she quickly back away.

* * *

**Hello again! I have been without power for about 3 days now due to Hurricane Sandy, along with no school. Well lucky for me I have my dad's laptop that get connection due to a Verizon Broadband :3 I can update at the very least :D So I present to you the first part of the two part 6,000 word chapter I promised. I have started typing the second part, and hopefully the next will be out friday or saturday, if all goes well. Well leave a review and see you guys soon!**


	49. Chapter 49 Revelations Part 2

"Help me! Someone!" Chihiro tried as hard as she could to free herself from Kokatsuna; however, he just kept hugging and squeezing her with all his might. This spirit has so much energy alone, he could probably supply the whole world if he needed to. He jumped up and down with Chihiro in his arms.

"Chihiro's here! Chihiro's here!" Kokatsuna cried. He suddenly saw Haku standing there with the most disturbed look on the planet. "Haku do you want a hug too?!" Kokatsuna instantly dropped Chihiro and dashed over to Haku.

"Ow!" Chihiro cried and she plopped onto the ground with a loud thump. As she looked up she saw Haku being enveloped by a giant brown mass.

"Someone help me!" he screamed and he got tackled to the ground.

"Are you happy now Haku?" said Kokatsuna as he crushed Haku in a hug.

"I would be happy if you got off of me!"

"There goes the grumpy dragon again," mumbled Lin, not so far away.

"I heard that," Haku screamed.

An eruption of chaos burst again as it had early in the day, but this time Okami came out of the house with his hands outstretched. They glowed a soft purple and his eyes silver. With a flick of his hands and a slight defense stance, everything and everyone suddenly slowed and stopped. Although, they were able to move their eyes and talk, their motion was limited to little or no movement.

"Could you become any louder? Kokatsuna, is it truly necessary to crush Chihiro and Haku with hugs? You saw them like a few hours ago! There's no need for the commotion and," he looked over to Haku, Chihiro and Lin. "It is nice to see you three again."

_'Nice to see you too...except Kokatsuna is on me," Haku said telepathically. 'It would be convienent if you didn't use your time powers, and show off. I could of easily gotten him off.'_

_'You were screaming for help...' thought Chihiro, so that everyone could hear._

_'Chihiro, you aren't helping.'_

Okami continued to stand there halting time, but what he didn't notice was that the young teenage girl was standing right behind him. Her mouth was agape as she looked at all of the figures, and figured out hey were definitely not human, and this was not a dream. She looked at Okami like he was a god or something.

"How are you doing that?!" she screamed with amazement as well as fear.

Okami turned around startled, and his hands returned to their normal state. As that happened, Chihiro fell back to the groud sicne she was frozen in motion to get up. Haku was once again crushed by Kokatsuna, but Kokatsuna was lifyed off of Haku with a water whip. He then landed lightly on the ground a good twenty feet away from any of them. All of them, Chihiro, Haku, Okami, and Kokatsuna stared at the teenage girl. Her eyes met each of teirs one by one.

Aria backed up a few feet in the house but bumped into someone. She turned to see Hana standing right behind her, and not a second later Hana had a hand on her shoulder.

"Amazing right? The power we can control...There's no to be afraid if you are. See those two spirits over there?" said Hana pointing to Haku and Chihiro. "They'll be the ones who will be able to get you back home."

Chihro and Haku stood up almost simultaneously and looked at the girl. Chihiro now understood why she felt like that before; a human had entered the Spirit World. So she could sense when things like this were going to happen? Was it going to happening with everything because that would be a burden she would not want under any circumstances. That pain earlier increased by one hundred for an event that could take place would surely kill her. She couldn't stand what happened before again like that on a larger scale.

She slowly walked over towards the girl with a kind face. Chihiro held out a hand as she reached Aria. Aria hesitantly looked up at Chihiro and examined her well being. Aria realized that Chihiro could be no older then her by at least a year or two. Aria continued to examine Chihiro and saw that she looked like a regular fifteen year old human, but was she one of them? Was she one of these creatures? Spirits? Could they be spirits? It suddenly hit Aria. Could she have ended up in the Spirit World? But she knew back in the human world the spirit world was just a myth.

"Are you a spirit?" Aria asked as she stared at Chihiro's hand? "Are you real? Or is this all just a big dream?"

Chihiro smiled at this, and knew how the girl was feeling. She wouldn't have believed what was happening either if she had just ended up here either. Chihiro pulled her hand back away from Aria and nodded.

"Yes, I am. And the rest of us here are as well. You're in the Spirit World and this is not big dream. I'm sorry you had to end up here, and be separated from your family. I will try to get you back as soon as possible, but will you be able to tell me your name?"

"It's," she hesitated. "Aria."

"What a pretty name," replied Chihiro as she reached forward with her hand again and Aria grasped it. "My name's Chihiro."

* * *

As Chihiro introduced Haku and Lin to Aria, Hana watched a few feet back. Chihiro didn't seem to recognize the name of the girl at all. The name was indeed one of the High Gods, but they was no figure to actually assign the name to. Hana did know the name Aria could mean lion or air, but Hana guessed the name stood for one of the High Gods that controlled air.

Hana felt a presence behind her and saw that Okami was now behind her. He gave her a little smile, but ushered her to follow him inside away from everyone else. She looked at Chihiro and Aria for a moment, contemplating on whether she should stay with them or go with Okami. In the end however, Hana followed behind Okami and entered the house.

"Is there something you need?" she asked confusingly as to why he had lead her inside.

"Yeah. I wanted to ask you something. Before when the girl said her name, it was Aria, correct?"

Hana stood there for a moment and realized why he had called her in. Okami had realized the importance of the girl's name.

"Yes, and you realize the importance of that name do you not?"

"Yes, it is the name of a High God, but I cannot pinpoint which one."

"I know Aria means either lion or air," said Hana. "But I know in these terms it's the Goddess of Air I'm supposing? And the Lion part is demonstrating the courage and power. "

"I agree," replied Okami. "However, is she only the Goddess of Air? I know we come from the High Gods since they created us, but we know nothing of them, no more then the common spirits do."

"Why due I feel this name will bring about something? I know it's the name of a High God, but what does this have to do with anything happening now?"

"I don't know. It just seems odd to hear that name, and are they any other female High Gods?"

"I heard once, when I was younger, that there was the Goddess of Water, Tallulah. Besides that I don't believe there is another High God that is a female. The rest are males. Are there a total of ten High Gods?"

"I believe so," replied Hana, and a crash came from outside a second later. A smirk appeared on Okami's face as he turned towards the door.

"Well I guess our short conversation has come to a close. It's probably Kokatsuna and Haku going at it again or something."

"Yeah," said Hana quietly.

Okami looked towards her and examined her face.

"Hey, something wrong?"

"What? No, I'm perfectly fine." Hana gave a quick smile and started to talk towards the door. "Let's get out there before someone else kills themselves." Hana opened the door and walked, but a feeling washed over her. She kind of wanted to stay and talk with Okami, but she pushed it aside along with all the other feelings she had been having lately. At the moment they weren't important, and they were only going to weigh her down.

'_What is going on with me?'_ she thought as she walked out the door.

* * *

All of them sat around the table in Okami's dining room a few hours later. Aria sat next to Chihiro because she seemed to feel most comfortable with her, despite Hana being so nice to her earlier. Hana didn't mind however, but she spaced herself from Okami and sat on the opposite end of the table. Okami glanced at her a bit wondering what was going on, but he dismissed it as one of her moods. Haku sat on the opposite side of Chihiro and continued to discuss what they were to do at the present moment. Haku believed having the Aria in there with them was important, she deserved to know what was fully going on, and not being in the dark; however, if Kaze or the problem was to come in the conversation, she would have to be removed.

"Aria, how did you end up here?" Haku asked. "I was informed by Hana that you had ended up here, but it would be appreciated if you delivered the details. It will help us better understand, and help us get you home quicker."

"I..." Aria looked around the table to see the other looking at her intently. "I remember walking with my mom in the woods. I just got home from school, and she wanted to take me for a walk, as I walked home with her. It was a rather beautiful day, the sky clearly blue, and a soft breeze running through the trees. I remember talking with her about something...I can't quite remember what it was though. We continued to walk on the path and not stray away into the woods. The path was a quicker way to get home, and was beautiful, so we decided to take it over the busy sidewalks. My mother paused for a second, like she heard something, but I didn't understand what she had heard. She said to my that it was nothing and we continued walking."

Aria continued to explain in detail about what had happened. Haku had asked her to explain every detail, and that's what she did. She did it as best she could, but part's of the memory were faint and blurry. The others listened with open ears and took in every detail.

Lin was especially interested in the whole incident since she had never really experienced anything like this. Sure she had traveled a bit before she worked at the bathhouse, but nothing like this happened while she was around. While Lin continued to listen Chirashi was quite enveloped. Chrashi listened closely, more then the others it seemed, because she was curious about what had happened. She knew it was something of Kaze's doing, but from the incident she would be able to find out what he had done.

"The last thing I remember seeing was this black hole like thing. It was this sort of sucking everything into the center of it. All the trees and landscape around me was smeared and it just seemed to get sucked into this black hole. There was also this loud ringing sound that sort of sounded like a rushing wind, but also some someone blowing a whistle at the same time. After a few seconds of experiencing this, my body crumpled to the ground and I passed out. The next thing I knew I was in the middle of an unknown forest. It looked nothing like the forest and path my mom were walking through.

I was scared out of my mind and wandered for at least a day or two. There were strange sounds throughout the forest, but I did my best to stay out of trouble and out of danger's way. When Hana and others found me, I had wandered into that town about a few hours ago. The spirits stared at me for a moment and I ran and hid. I was so hungry though, that I wen looking for food. That's when a crowd of people spotted me and I made eye contact with Hana and the others."

Haku gave the girl a nod and thought for a moment before truly responding. The rest of the group tried to sort out the information the girl had given. Chirashi started to piece together the information she had gained, and she knew instantly what had occurred, or was very sure. She decided against telling the others for a moment, and waited to see what they had to say. Chirashi doubted they had the same idea. She had seen Kaze use this before when they fought each other for fun back in the old days.

"There's definitely a disturbance between the human boundary and the spirit boundary," Okami said.

"No, shit." Hana muttered.

"Did you say something Hana?" Okami looked over at Hana with a questioningly look.

"Nope, nothing."

"Oh okay."

Hana let out a small smirk when he looked away, and Chirashi let out a snicker. Chirashi thought it was funny the way Hana would tease Okami from time to time. A few thousand years ago Hana would do the same thing, but she would do wide scale pranks that would make them laughing for days on end. One instance she had him suspended over a canyon just by a root, and created the illusion of rushing water below. The look on Okami's face at that time was priceless. Chirashi smiled at the memory, but was brought back to reality with Hana's hand poking her.

"What?" Chirashi whispered.

"Why aren't you answering?" Hana asked in a low voice.

"Because I don't know...It could be anything that's letting the humans come through." Hana then gave Chirashi a 'are you serious look'.

"I know you know what's going on."

Chirashi eyes widened a bit, but then she tilted her head tot he side.

"How do you know?"

"Chirashi, because you are the smartest spirit in her, how could you not? I saw your look earlier like you solved the greatest math problem in the world. Tell Haku so we could start figuring this whole mess out."

"I was going to anyway...I was just waiting for everyone else to give their ideas." Chirashi said.

"Like Kokatsuna and Okami have brains," said Hana with a smile. "They couldn't come up with a good explanation for their life."

Chirashi laughed a little, but quiet enough not to attract too much attention. She then agreed to tell Haku what she thought, or knew the problem was. She knew Kaze better then probably anyone here, since they were the closest of friends back then, despite him being with Chihiro for a period of time. Now her closest friend would probably have to be Hana, although they did have their share of differences.

"Haku," Chirashi said aloud. "I'm sorry to interrupt you and Kokatsuna, but I know what is occurring."

"You do?"

"Yes, and it's obviously something Kaze has done to short change the barrier between the human and spirit world. It isn't permanent, but for the time being more humans can be coming in. This is not just bad for us, but for the human world because the governments there will begin to realize that more and more people are disappearing each day. Families will begin to report their loved ones missing, and soon they will need an explanation, but most don't know this world exists. A reasoning for the disappearing people will become to hard to pinpoint, since it is something out of their grasp."

"So the problem is?"

"Kaze is using a Warping Spell."

"A warping what?" Said Okami who was confused. Aria sat beside Chihro listening contently at the amount of information she was getting.

"I don't think you would remember it, but when Kaze and I used to fight each other, he used to use it. He's basically using the warping spell to distort the human/ spirit boundary. He placed it upon the boundary exactly, but I don't get how he pinpointed it so precisely. I don't think a single spirit knows where it is exactly. But the spell causes a creature, or in this case a human, from the other side to wander into her. The boundary is simply distorted, or turned off in some places, so humans are simply warped to the spirit world. The Warping Spell also allows them to land in any place in the spirit world, not just the place they cross over from."

"That's not good," said Hana.

"No it is not," replied Haku. "This is a very big deal. More humans could be wandering in right now for all we know."

"I thought Kaze needed my power to combine the two worlds," said Chihiro.

"He does," answered Haku. "He needs it to combine the two worlds, to gain the free will he wants and the power he craves. But at the moment he can't obtain that power at this instant he has found an alternative to gain the free will. By allowing humans to go through, he will probably send his minions out and..." Haku suddenly realized Aria was still in the room and he looked over at her. Aria sat there with a confused expression that was filled with a hit of fear.

"Hana, please remove Aria immediately. I forgot she was in the room."

"Will do." Hana looked over at Aria. "Let's get you out of here."

Aria refused to move however. She stood up quickly and gripped the table with all her might.

"What's this Kaze guy going to do?! Is my family going to be harmed? Is he going to kill us?!"

"Hana get her out please."

Hana gripped Aria's arm in a friendly manner, and tried to encourage her to get up; however, it wasn't that easy.

"No! Tell me! I want to know!" Aria screamed. The fear washed over her now. She didn't want any harm to come to her or her family. She was so confused by the current situation.

"Aria we have to go," said Hana calmly.

"I need to know!"

"Aria," spoke Haku in a stern voice. "I am sorry to startle you, but it is best for you to leave the room. You will not like what you hear."

"I don't care," she cried. "I don't want anyone getting hurt or dying! What's going on?!"

Haku sat there, but he remained calm. He knew what he had to do since it was clear the girl was not going to leave. He was not going to like what he was doing but...Suddenly Aria's eyes rolled back and she dropped tot he ground. Before she hit the ground Hana caught her. Haku suddenly became very terrified for the girl's life, but saw Chihiro standing on the opposite side of the table. Her hands were out and glowing.

"Did you just..."

"Yes, Haku...I needed to, or else she wouldn't calm down. I used to be like that, wanting to know everything. Although, sometimes it's best if things are not known."

* * *

**Hello fellow readers! Finally life seems to be back to normal after Hurricane Sandy. Sorry I didn't get this out earlier, but hey it's out now. Thank you for everyone that reviewed, alerted, favorited the story. Big thanks to you all! I am so glad to have all of you reading out there, and I hope to keep entertaining all of you, and hope to attract more readers. So the wheels for the story are finally turning now, and the story shall continue. I might be able to pop out another chapter, 2,000 words, this weekend. I really have nothing to do, so I'll try to through it in if I can. Well thank you again and see u all soon! If you have any questions drop me a pm :D**


	50. Chapter 50 Blossoming

**Fluff alert ;)**

* * *

Hana placed Aria on the couch a few rooms over. The girl was out cold and her body hung limover the edge fo the couch. Hana kind of felt bad about what happened, but like Chihiro said, it was best she didn't know. They would have to perform a forgetfulness spell on her. The spell wouldn't erase her memories of this place, but jut lock them away in her mind. They would really have no choice, but in the end a teenage girl telling her parents she met spirits wouldn't seem so realistic. It wasn't up to her if they would perform the spell, and if any of them could, probably Chihiro, but they would all have to vote on it.

Hana slipped into the chair next to the couch for a moment. She let her head fall back onto the headrest of the chair and sighed. Her eyes drifted closed and a sigh escaped her pursed lips. Hana was stressed about the current situation, and what was to come. Would there be more humans coming through anytime soon? Would too many of them come through that they couldn't send them all back? The job of a protector seemed to finally be setting in once more like a few thousand years ago when the last Great War occurred. the memories from that wat were forever etched into Hana's head, and it sent shivers down her back.

_'Kaze...Why...Why did you turn away from us? Why cause all these things?'_

* * *

Haku had decided it was time to end the "meeting" and call it a day. Everyone picked out their different rooms in Okami's house, and settled in. Chihiro decided to wander the halls to try and see idf she could trigger any memories of this place, but a half an hour of walking around did nothing. No memories were triggered, and walking around just basically drained her energy down to nothing.

Chihiro slipped into a random room on the third floor and glanced around. The room was quite empty except for some sheets cover pieces of furniture, and the setting sun slipping in through the cracks of the curtain.

Chihiro could see the dust dimly dancing in the air and the light casting shadows upon ever dark corner. Chihiro wondered what this room was used for because it was obviously not used for anything now. It seemed to have this dreary sense; however, the light from outside gave it a little more of a comforting feeling.

"You seem to be wandering around a lot," said a low voice. Chihiro twisted herself around and saw Haku standing at the doorway. A small smile plastered her face, but she turned her back to him to continue looking at the room.

"What was this room used for?" she asked.

"Used to be a drawing room...Hana used to come in here and paint from time to time when she was here."

"She drew?" Chihiro asked.

"Yes, and she was quite good. She could portray anything as it was, she could probably draw me right now and get it exactly right. She has always had this artistic side to her, but...there were also sides to her that no one liked to see."

"Like?"

"I don't think this is the time to talk about that, but all I can say is you two had some 'confrontations' a while back," replied Haku.

"Well I know that...I have seen some glimpses of them but..."

"She used to..."

"Like you, I know."

"How did you?" said Haku.

"Haku, I have seen more glimpses of memories each and everyday, did love you at one point."

"Wait, what?" Haku stood there with the most confused look on the planet. Sure he knew she liked him, but loving him was on a whole other scale. Did she still love him now? Haku knew he loved Chihiro, and Chihiro loved him, so was that why Hana had been rejected by Chihiro from time to time? Haku had came in the room to see if Chihiro was in here, not to rekindle old memories that didn't need to be brought up.

"Like you said...I don't think is the best time to discuss this, and I kind of want to be left alone right now. This whole human thing with Kaze is hurting my head just trying to think about it."

"Chihiro," said Haku.

"I know I have been secluding myself a bit this past week or so, but what do you expect? I've been here almost a month and everything is so different. I didn't expect to be bit by a demon and end up here. I expected to go home from school and hang out with my friends. I didn't see myself getting whisked here to find out I'm probably the most powerful spirit at the moment. Sure the High Gods are way more powerful, I didn't expect this," Chihiro said pointing to herself.

"I know you didn't, no one saw that it would turn out this way, but that's why we're here. We're all here to support each other, protect spirits and humans, and end this thing. I don't know how many times I have to remind you Chihiro, I'm here for you. I'll always be. I know this is hard, and it's getting way more escalated; however, I will remain by your side."

Chihiro stood there, her legs starting to feel like jello. They didn't feel existent. Chihiro had heard everything Haku had said, and the feeling of the whole incident with Kaze was weighing in as well. She began to feel like the little ten year old girl she used to know. That little ten year old girl was still within her, she never left Chihiro. Chihiro would still have that human part in her no matter what, it's what made her who she is now. It just felt like she was going in a continuous cycle. A major incident would occur, then she would feel happy then her mood would change once more.

"I just feel like a clock, going in a cycle then repeating myself once more. I don't know what to think anymore. Do I even deserve to have these powers? Do I? There are so many thing to hink about, for me at least. Was I really born from a High God? Is Kaze really going to cause destruction? Will I ever be able to talk to Hana the same way again? How many more humans with pass through?"

Chihro's voice started to crack, but she continued saying questions. Haku hated seeing her like this, and realized that so much had happened to her. He knew this was still the same ten year old girl that would cry when things got hard. He knew she needed comfort, bu ina w ay, she was also like the Rapisu she used to be. Rapisu was the same way; rarely expressing what she felt at times, trying to muster it all up, then break down in a continuous cycle.

"Chihiro," said Haku with a soft voice. "Just forget everything for one moment Just take a breath and look at me."

Chihiro slowly raised her head to meet Haku's eyes. He was now in front of her with a hand under he chin, as he looked into her chestnut eyes.

"You need to stop worrying. You will do a great job and protect others when the time comes. Everything happens for a reason, and you have spirits around you that will support you."

"I know but-"

"That word 'but' is wiring you up so much. Stop questioning everything that you do. Just let everything flow, and the knowledge you need will come in time."

"Haku.."

"Chihiro, just let the worries go. They'll break you down...I know from experience."

"But," said Chihiro accidentally.

"What did I say about that word?" said Haku as he leaned closer to Chihiro's face. "You have had enough of worrying these past few weeks, and the 5,000 years before this."

"It's just,"

"It's just that you need to let you worries go," he reminded her as he brought his lips down on hers.

* * *

Okami cracked a door open to find Hana staring at the ceiling, and Aria laying on the couch opposite from her. He didn't let his presence be known for a moment, until his foot hit a creaky spot on the floor. Hana's head then shot up, and she stared at him. Her eyes seemed to hold worry and frustration.

"Hana?"

"Yeah? What do you need?"

"Just seeing hw you and Aria were doing..." said Okami.

"We're fine. Chihiro did a good number of magic on her. That girl is out ice cold."

"I can see that," replied Okami as he walked over and sat on the floor in front of Hana. He then turned his head to the human girl on the couch and let out a sigh. At least we know it's a Warping Spell that's causing humans to end up here. Hope we can get her back before too much time passes."

"I agree," said Hana with a whisper. Her mind had been focused on why Kaze had been doing all of this, but now Okami was her center of couldn't help but stare, like once before, at his features. His purple hair that framed his face, his violet eyes that glistened in the light from the lamp, sturdy chin, and his body was in perfect couldn't help notice this and as she did so, she could feel heat start to rush to her face. Since when had she recognized his muscles through the tight shirt he had been wearing?

Okami sensed something with Hana and turned his head to meet her staring eyes. Her face quickly darkened with a sort of crimson color as she tried to direct her attention to something else in the room. Okami tilted his head to the side in a confused manner, but let out a laugh.

"No need to be shy at looking at my wonderful looks," he stated.

"I was doing no such thing," Hana said in confident voice.

"Then why the wide eyes and the blush covering your cheeks?" He tried to corner her into a wall in this conversation. He would get what he wanted from her.

"I-I-I," she stammered. "I wasn't blushing." Hana turned her face away from Okami, and her face got redder, if that was even possible.

"i clearly saw you. No need to be shy green head."

"What," she shrieked quickly. "You just called me green head?"

"The nickname suits you, and since no boy would look at you anyway, green head seems pretty fine to me."

Hana's face cringed at that and she launched hersef at Okami, tackling him to the floor.

"Do you want to test my nerves?" she hissed. "I'm in no mood, Okami. There's too much going on to be playing games."

"I'm not playing a game," he said as he looked up at her with those piercing violet eyes. He also glanced at how she pinned his hands down, and her nails dug into the floor boards.

"What are you saying? I'm thinking things over in here without your annoying voice, and watching over this girl then you come barging in. After that you start saying stupid things. Okami you don't call that playing a game. Coming in here an annoying me?"

"No," said Okami quietly. It seemed they both forgot about Aria on the couch, and that they were now in their own little world.

"I swear Okami, you're making it so easy for me to punch you in the face right now."

"You wouldn't do that,"

"Why you!"

"Shut your mouth," he glared up at her. "The girl is still on the couch."

"So what? You come in here and annoy me. What the hell do you expect from me? You annoy me every freaking second of the day, and cease to stay away from me. Can't I just have 5 minutes without you near me?"

"What fun would that be? Teasing and annoying you is my specialty."

Hana just pinned him there, and stared down at him. She finally realized something as he lied there under her. She was falling for Okami in a way. Why else would she constantly stare at him the way she did? Why did she sometimes miss it when he didn't tease her? Wasn't she still in love with Haku?

"Something wrong green head?" Okami asked as he realized how utterly silent she had become.

"Nothing," she said sternly. Hana then started to get off of Okami, but his hand grasped hers. He then pulled her back down on top of him.

"Green head there's something wrong what is is?" Okami whispered as he snaked his hands around her waist. A little yelp escaped Hana's lips and she then saw him smirk from the reaction.

"Nothing. Nothing at all. Just let me go," Hana cried as she tried to pry his hands away.

"No, stop trying to get away, just accept it."

That stopped Hana in her movements. Did he know?

"Accept what?" she said without looking at him.

"You know what I mean."

"No, I don't."

"Stop playing dumb."

"Playing dumb about what?!" Hana raised her voice as sh said this.

"The fact that you like me!" Okami repled back with the same intensity, and at the same time his face turned red.

Hana suddenly fell silent, and her eyes dropped. He knew...He knew she started to fall for him...She just couldn't accept it. At that moment she tried pushing herself away with all her might. This surprised Okami, but he flipped both of them over, so now he was pinning her down.

"Stop struggling."

"No," she replied. "Just let me up."

"I can't, even when you look so cute like this."

"You can't take anything seriously," she cried out once more. "Yes, I like you! I don't know why, but I do! and when you find out, you act like it's a joke! Can't you take anything seriously?! Just one thing!"

With that Okami didn't know what happened next, but his lips were crashing down on hers. Hana's eyes widened at this, and she stayed still from the shock.

_'I like you too, you damn idiot.' _Okami thought telepathically.

* * *

**Hello my readers and hope you have a good start to the week! Last week started my busy life once more. Schoolwork, basketball, ninjutsu, and swim team...Oh the joy. Well here's the next chapter, and decided to make it mostly fluff since we haven't seen some of it in a while Sure it was here and there, but now it's a bit more. Okami and Hana finally admitted they like each other, but will it work how? Lave a review and tell me what you guys think. Do you think Chirashi and Koktsuna should get together? Bye! Leave a review! :D**


	51. Chapter 51 Dinner Interruptions

_**I do not own Spirited Away...Warning...An annoyingly, annoying Kokatsuna appears in this chapter ;)**_

* * *

"Where is everyone?" Chiashi asked as she glanced down one of the elongated hallways. Kokatsuna popped up beside her and gave a shrug of his shoulders.

"No idea," he replied.

"They could be anywhere in this place. It's freaking huge for the High Gods sake," said Lin who now joined the group. The three of them had started to look for Okami, Hana, Chihiro and Haku after they had left the room during the meeting. They knew Hana had taken the girl somewhere, but they couldn't seem to pinpoint which room she was taken to exactly.

"Chihrio's probably making out with Haku," said Lin jokingly.

"Not funny," replied Chirashi.

"It's really not funny," Kokatsuna whispered.

"Yes, and that's coming from the joking king," snickered Chirashi with a roll of her eyes.

"Yes, and the 'joking king' actually says things that are funny," Lin said flatly. Chirashi let out a laugh and gave a thumbs down.

"Burn," Chirashi said with laughter.

"You're just jealous of my incredbile sense of humor."

"Why would I be jealous of the sense of humor you don't have?" said Lin.

"Lin, you just know how to pick a fight with someone don't you?" asked Chirashi.

"It's my specialty," she said with a thumbs up. "Especially with Mr. Dragon Boy."

"Speaking of him, we need to find the two of them; however we should've been able to sense them easily considering the house isn't that big."

"It's a mansion!," Lin cried.

"Whatever, and I think there's something in the walls that don't allow us to sense anything because Okami would do something like that. Let's split up and check every room, but knock of course considering the circumstances."

"Dirty thoughts," Kokatsuna yelled as he ran down the hall to the left.

"I didn't mean it like that," said Chirashi as she went straight.

"These next few days are going to be hell,"' mumbled Lin as she went right.

* * *

Hana sat in the opposite corner of the room and avoided Okami as much as she could. He wouldn't let her out of the room, but that didn't mean she had to be near him. Considering the whole situation, it was extremely awkward for the two of them, especially since Aria was still on the couch in the corner of the room.

"Hana-"

"Shut it Okami," she mumbled as she turned to face the wall even more.

"I thought-"

"Why don't you stop thinking and bothering me."

"Hana, nothing's going to get solved like this."

"That's not the issue," she screamed as she turned towards him. "That," she said refering to before. "Is the issue."

"I know it was sudden, but..." Okami trailed off and decided it was best to stop talking.

"Yeah it was sudden," Hana hissed, but then she lowered her voice. "I guess I'm still surprised...I didn't expect you to...You know..."

"I didn't expect myself to kiss you either..." he mumbled. "That was the last thing I was expecting."

"Then why did you do it?" Hana asked.

"Are you really so blind? I wouldn't have kissed you if I didn't like you."

"No need to get so moody," commented Hana.

"Well there's no need to be so blunt," stated Okami.

The two of them started to bicker over who kissed who first and why. They continued this absentmindedly, without the thought that Aria was still on the couch next to both of them. Hana was now facing Okami, and both of them were now sitting in front of each other. Their voices got increasingly louder, trying to get their points across. They continued to argue for the stupidest of reasons.

"Green head," yelled Okami.

"Purple head," Hana said back.

"That's the lamest name calling I have heard," chuckled Okami.

"You dumbass. You said the same thing as me except inserted Green Head," argued Hana.

"I said it first!"

"Mine makes more sense!"

"You're such an idiot!"

"You're a nut job!"

Both of them made a 'hmph' sound like little children, and turned away from each other. Both of them mumbled to themselves, but just as that happened a knock occurred at the door. Both Hana and Okami jumped in surprise at the knocked that continued to rasp at the door. Aria, on the other hand, continued to lay on the couch sound asleep. It seemed that sleeping spell Chihiro put on her hadn't worn off yet.

"Hello?" a voice called from the other side of the door. "Anyone in there? Wait let me guess...Hana and Okami are in there right? I can hear your freaking bickering down the hall you two."

Hana and Okami turned to look at each other for a moment, then gave a look of disgust and looked back to the door. Both of them replied to the voice they knew all so well simultaneously.

"Kokatsuna, shut up!"

A laugh was heard from the other side, and the door creaked open. Kokatsuna stepped inside and snickered a bit. Okami and Hana looked at him with a slightly confused look. Hana stood up and asked Kokatsuna why he was laughing.

"You two could be heard down the hall, first thing. Second, you two sound like a married couple." Kokatsuna then burst out laughing even more and Hana's face flushed a deep red. Okami, in the background, had the same reaction as well. They both stood up and glared at Kokatuna with piercing eyes.

"No, we do not!" they both cried.

"Stop copying me!" screamed Okami.

"You stop copying me!" yelled Hana.

"You two are so a married couple!" Kokatuna was now on the floor laughing his head off, and still, no one took note of Aria on the couch.

"WE ARE NOT!" Okami and Hana then looked at each other one last time, with burning red faces.

"STOP COPYING ME FOR THE LAST TIME!"

* * *

"Do you hear that?" asked Chihiro as she broke away from a hug with Haku. The two of them had some 'alone time' considering the circumstances. They didn't really have much time along during the previous events, yet they were still new to this whole thing about 'love'. They knew they loved each other, no doubt about it, but kissing was still new territory Even hugging was a little odd at times since neither was used to such contact for a long period of time.

"The yelling? Yes, I did." Haku listened a little more to see if he could hear something else.

"It sounded like-"

"Okami and Hana,' finished Haku.

"Those two are always at it aren't they?" asked Chihiro.

"It seems they are. We better go check out what is going on." Haku then grasped Chihiro's hand and let her towards the door. Just as he was about to open the door, it burst open and almost hit him in the head. Lin dashed in to find Chihiro and Haku standing there with peculiar looks.

"Finally found you!" Lin said happily.

"Haven't you head of knocking?" asked Haku.

"Well...I was told to knock, but it would've been more exciting to walk in on you guys. And just to annoy you Dragon Boy."

"Don't start with the nicknames, Lin."

"Chill out, Scaly."

Chihiro sighed and stepped between the two of them.

"What do you need Lin?"

"Chirashi told us to come find you. It's not the time for you guys to be making out."

Chihiro argued with Lin that that's not what they were doing, but Lin refused to listen. The light outside was beginning to fade, as nighttime approached once more. They had officially been here almost a day. Haku, Chihiro and Lin continued to talk, but soon another yell was heard from downstairs. The three of them looked at each other, and nodded. They all ran out of the room , and ran to where the noise was coming from.

Hana's drawing room was once again quiet. The setting sun showed through the cracks in the curtains, and the dust danced in the light. There were various canvas' around the room that were covered with thin white sheets. At least a dozen of them were placed around the room, not touched neither looked upon. It was like it had once been, quiet and subtle. What would become of this room?

* * *

All of them finally met up in one place again, except it was dinner time. Chirashi stood at the stove preparing foods of sorts, while the others sat around the table chit chatting. Hana and Okami made sure they stayed a good distance, even though being on opposite sides of the table probably wasn't enough. Chihiro sat next to Haku, and Kokatsuna sat across from where Chirashi would sit. Then on the very end was where Lin sat, chatting with Chihiro and such.

Aria was still on the second floor sleeping in the room; however, she was twisting a bit more in her sleep, a sign that she would arise soon. Her blond hair hung over the edge of the couch, and her arm was draped over as well. She had this peaceful sort of look, and for once, was not troubled by the current situation. Although, downstairs dinner started to get a little rowdy.

"Chirashi is the food ready?" asked Kokatsuna. "I'm hungry."

"If you don't shut it Kokatsuna, you won't be getting any food in that annoying mouth of yours." Chirashi rolled her eyes and went back to make the noodles and some other foods. Their aromas filled the room, and everyone's mouth had started to water when Chirashi first started cooking. The food caught their noses as soon as it started cooking. Kokatsuna couldn't keep still in his chair as his stomach continued to growl. He was craving food, and he knew the others were too, considering they hadn't eaten since last night.

"And so that's how I found Hana and Okami," said Kokatsuna with a smirk.

"Sounds like a married couple to me," said Chihiro jokingly.

"Definitely does," added Haku.

Okami sat there and rolled his eyes as he looked away. He obviously did not find this conversation that 'intriguing', so he thought he'd just think about other things. Hana on the other hand sat there with her head in her hands; trying to cover the blush that was beginning to creep up on her face. It was bad enough they had kissed, but now everyone was teasing them about being a married couple. The kiss though, would stay a secret between Okami and Hana. They both wouldn't tell a soul.

"Aww Hana is being shy," said Kokatsuna as he lightly nudged her shoulder. "Oh don't be a party pooper, join the party."

"I'm good," she mumbled.

"Whatever you say...Chirashi is the fo-"

"BE QUIET KOKATSUNA!" everyone cried simultaneously, except Chirashi. She just rolled her eyes and turned around.

"Food's ready." As soon as Kokatsuna heard that he literally almost jumped out of his chair due to joy.

"Finally," he said.

"Be grateful I'm actually giving you some," whispered Chirashi as she placed a bowl in front of him.

"Thank you mother."

Kokatsuna then got smacked on the back of the dead.

"Don't be such a dimwit."

After a few minutes of getting the food to everyone, they all sat and smiled at each other. They could all see the steam curling off some of the foods and they just wanted to stuff themselves. The aromas in the room all mixed together to form this one satisfying smell that drove them crazy. Chirashi nodded to everyone as she sat down, and they all picked up their utensils. Just as Haku was about to place a spoonful in his mouth, a crash was heard and the kitchen door was blasted open.

There, in the doorway, stood a tall figure. A black cloth wrapped around his body, and wrappings covering his face. All that was revealed was these bright silver eyes. He stood there with a staff in one hand and another out in front, which just blasted the door.

"I demand the human girl," said the figure. "I demand her at once, or I will have to use force. The Master has requested that all the useless pieces of trash be picked out."

* * *

_**Hello once again! Thanks you for all the reviews last chapter :D Made me so happy and see that some of you are happy about Okami and Hana; however, now they are avoiding each other. Dont worry it will be resolved soon enough ;) I just want to thank the following for reviewing :D :**_

_**michelle88822**_

_**nicholec**_

_**Skoteri-Kodoma**_

_**Guest**_

_**ludin**_

_**Thank you all so much :) Next chapter should be out Sunday. I'm going to try to get one out before school starts again due to Thanksgiving Break. In the meantime, if you're looking for something else to read, check out my other stories Alone in the Mist and The Lies and the Heart :) Both are Spirited Away stories. Well bye for now and thanks again! Let me know what you think of this chapter! Review!**_


	52. Chapter 52 The Hunt

"I don't feel anything good," said Zeniba with a whisper.

Zeniba sat her table with her eyes closed, and concentrated on a variety of different energies. She focused on them and the surrounding lands. She sensed a unnatural force stirring in the northwestern forest, which was where Okami's shack was; however, this force seemed to flow throughout the surrounding lands. It pulsated through the air, the ground, and through the barriers that separated spirit and man.

"That spirit is causing so much havoc...The Great War might just repeat itself like those 5,000 years ago."

Zeniba continued to sit there, all alone in fact, except she then remembered Mizutohi was still her or was she? Zeniba turned around in the chair she was sitting in at the kitchen table to see if Muzitohi was behind her. She then saw Mizutohi sitting there with her eyes closed, seemingly in a trance of meditation. Mizutohi's long blue hair hun over her shoulders, and her crimson eyes were hidden behind her eyelids.

"Miz-"

Mizitohi's eyes suddenly cracked open before Zeniba could finish saying her name.

"Yes," Mizutohi asked.

"Something is occurring. You should be with the others," suggested Zeniba.

Mizutohi sat on the couch and let out a sigh. She knew she had to be with the others, she wasn't dumb, but an inner feeling told her to remain inside the witch's house.

"I know, but something tells me I should remain here. When I feel like that, it's best if I listen to that feeling."

"How do you know if nothing is happening to them now?" Zeniba asked curiously.

"Because," Mizuothi said with a straight voice. "they are capable of handling themselves. We are the Lost Ones after all, the Protectors. If something happens, I know they can handle the situation with ease. If something occurs and I am not here, it will be my fault."

"I am capable of protecting myself you know," stated Zeniba. "I have been around for over 20,000 years, and a witch of high power."

Zeniba knew Mizutohi was aware of her power, but was curious as to how Mizutohi would reply. She wanted to truly see what the High Gods had delivered upon the Spirit World.

"I know, and I meant no offense to your name, but it is my job, my fate. If I do not uphold what I am supposed to do, what would become of me? If I didn't do what I was born to do, why live? I am bound to protecting others and I will not let an opportunity slip away out of my grasp. Do you now understand?"

Zeniba let out a smile.

"I have understood you all along, young one. I just wanted to see what you say. I wanted to see what the High Gods delivered to the Spirit World, and I'm glad to have you protecting it."

Mizutohi let out a smile as well.

"You are indeed a wise witch."

"That's what time does to you."

* * *

"Well if it's trash you're supposed to be removing, I suggest you remove yourself," said Hana with a smirk. "The clothes that your wearing look like you rolled in a pile of mud and what kind of manners do you have? Rushing in through the door like that like a mad man, you definitely have no manners."

The being in the doorway took no notion to Hana's comment and proceeded into the room with a cat-like grace. He had a presence that was one that made you look, and not take your eyes off his figure. His silver eyes immediately directed themselves towards Chihiro; he examined her with those exhibiting eyes. She stood there looking upon him as well and currently held a defense stance, as she was clearly ready to attack if necessary.

"That human girl is not human trash," said Chihiro with a hint of disgust hidden in her voice.

The suspicious spirit seemed to smile through the wrappings that covered his face and he let out a chuckle.

"A creature that is defenseless and pollutes the world is considered trash. Where have you been young one? Even you were a human for a time if I'm not correct."

Chihiro stood there and looked at him.

"How do you know that?" she asked with a tint of surprise.

"I know things, young one. You would be surprised at the knowledge I have in my grasp."

His hand that was free from holding the staff lifted into the air. Everyone in the room took as stance and summoned the magical power they contained within each of their bodies. Each of them were ready for what the being would throw at them, but he simply let out another chuckle.

"I am doing nothing that would harm you. My master may be violent in his ways, but I do not need violent acts to complete what I was sent to do," he hand wavered in the air for a moment, then he brought it back to his side. "I am just asking for you to hand over the girl, a simple request of sorts."

"I think it's clear," said Haku.

"We're not handing her over," said the group simultaneously.

"Then," said the spirit with another sly chuckle. "I will obtain her myself. It's not worth protecting something that will fade and die within a century, while we live for thousands of years. These humans are vermins but at least they hold the key to free will."

The figure raised his staff, and as it surrounded itself with a silver tinted aura, a wave of magic flowed through the room. Everyone could feel the magic that coursed through him as well as the staff that was within his grasp. A second later he dropped it to the floor and a crack echoed through the room, and the figure's body, as if on cue, vanished.

Chihiro was already out of her chair and at the door of the kitchen. She took a few steps, a magic like aura surrounded her, and she disappeared the down the hall at an incredible speed. What she was doing seemed natural to her. Chihiro had no need to think about how to control or manipulate the flow of magic, all she knew was that she had to get to Aria before he did.

Haku, Chirashi, Hana, Kokatsuna and Okami remained in the dining room. Haku ushered the others to follow as he went the way Chihiro did. His feet lifted off the floor as he flew down the hall and zipped up the stairs.

"Why does something always happen when everything gets peaceful?" Hana asked as she spun herself around the railing of the stairs and ran up.

"Because," Chirashi said. "Nothing is ever peaceful. Sure it may seem peaceful to us at times, but there's always something occurring. Especially now, a lot more things are going to happen. It may get worse then the Great War that happened 5,000 years ago."

"1,000 years after we were created...I'm hoping it doesn't get worse then this," replied Hana with a sigh.

"When Kaze wants something, he gets it."

"I know, and that's a bad thing."

"Guys quit talking and get to the room. We need to find Aria before that guy does." Said Okami as he trailed behind them.

"I have an idea," said Hana. Suddenly the lights flickered out in the house and a loud 'thump' followed.

"Hana!"

"Making it pitch black doesn't make it better!'

"Being in the light and darkness are my specialty." With that Okami and Chirashi felt Hana slip away up the stairs.

"We need to catch up to her."

"That might be hard," said Okami with a chuckle.

* * *

**You guys can hate me...Updating has become so anoying now because when I want to type something comes up. I'm typing the second half of this now, and I'll try to finish it. Big thanks to everyone that reviewed last chapter and those who continue to read it. Let's see if we can make 170 reviews ;) Thank you so much! Next chapter should be out soon.**


	53. Chapter 53 The Hunt (Part 2)

The figure stood before the girl who laid on a couch, while he stood there silently with his staff leaning on his right shoulder. Nighttime had approached it seemed, considering there was barely any light streaming through the windows and the golden stars had started to peek out of the blanket of the heavens. He thought this was all to easy. He was hoping for some kind of resistance from the so called 'famous protectors of the Spirit World.; however, this didn't seem to be the case.

"Oh what a pretty face you have, but what a vermin you are to the universe."

The wrappings on the figure's face prevented any emotion to show through, but the hint of laughter could be traced in his voice. Wiping these filthy creatures out made it worth living. The free will they contained as well was equally important, but why would the High Gods give it to them and not the spirits. Sure the spirits could do things they wanted to, but there were boundaries and restrictions. Their souls were pure and untainted, in the end at least, and they got to live in the lands the High Gods prepared for them, or they were doomed to walk to grounds of the Spirit World aimlessly for all eternity.

Spirits on the other hand, they were born into the world for a purpose, and when they were no longer needed or forgotten they simply disappeared into the air, never to exist again. As long as the memories of you lasted, you survived, but the humans, they lived for a few decades, die off, then be granted eternal life. They would never truly fade, or die off. They would exist until time itself ended, while spirits were like puffs of dust; existing at one moment then gone the next, no matter how many centuries they lived.

A hint of disgust, and maybe a tint of jealousy flowed through him, crossed his expression as he looked at the girl. He just wanted her to be gone, but that would've been a violation of his master's orders.

"I am sorry young one...You will face my master, rather then I. I might have a little mercy in me, but when my master craves something, he gets it. Now lets get you out of here."

The figure reached down to scoop Aria into his arms, while his staff was tucked neatly under his arm. Just as his hand was about to graze her shoulder, an immense amount of energy filled the room.

"Lay a hand on her, and I will certainly show you no mercy."

The figure turned around to see Chihiro standing there. Her eyes now a crimson color and her hands curled at her side. The girl looked as she was about to unleash the end of the world upon the man in front of her.

"Oh look who appears again. I was thinking you and the others would simply let me take the girl. You don't seem to be all that dangerous or impressive in the first place."

"I'm not playing games, don't touch her."

"And why care about such a worthless creature?" he asked. "Why care about a creature that kills us without even caring, huh?"

"Not all humans are like that, I would know, I was one for a time."

"That," he replied. "I already knew, which makes me want you gone as well. I said I wouldn't cause harm to you guys, but you have the taint of human filth on you still, unlike the others. That changes the whole scenario."

Chihiro started to feel anger boil in her. Some spirits didn't seem to understand that not all humans were bad, all they cared about was eliminating them as a whole. Even more importantly, they wanted to take their free will, which spirits didn't have; however, you truly needed to combine the two worlds to allow spirits to obtain it. Chihiro was the only one who had the power to do so, since her soul still contained free will from when she was a human, but she wouldn't hand it over to Kaze. As a result, he was using a Warping Spell to bring humans in here and he would send people around to gather the humans, so Chihiro thought.

"You have never lived among them, you wouldn't know." Chihiro growled.

"That doesn't matter. I know they aren't worthy of having free will."

"What? We live for 20,000 or more years then they do and you guys still aren't content with existing?!" She glared at him now, and was ready to blast him at any moment. "You are more greedy than any human I have met!"

The figure chuckled.

"So it is okay for them to die and live on forever, while we fade and cease to never exist again?"

"Yes, because they deserve it. Those who fade here are destined to that fade. Everything happens for a reason, nothing lasts forever. Humans and spirits are different yet the same. We were created far before they ever existed and so what if we fade in the end? If we live a worthwhile life then it doesn't matter right?!"

The anger Chihiro had started to flow out now. It was evident in her expression and the aura increasing around her hands. Instead of it being a crimson color like her eyes, it was dark, a pure dark color. It was black magic that was forming around Chihiro. You didn't have to be evil to use black magic, but this magic could also display an immense amount of anger, like Chihiro was displaying now. It started to circle her like a flame and she opened her hands an launched herself at him.

"Living is a precious thing! Don't take it away from others!"

Chihiro put both hands together and whispered a few words under her breath. A ball of black energy surrounded by electricity was launched straight at the figure, who was then smashed into the wall.

The figure quickly recovered and pointed his staff straight in front of him.

"Go to hell."

"I don't think so," said Chihiro with a low voice. SHe now held out both hands in front of her and then crossed them. "Life is precious!"

Black electricity flew off her arms and shot straight at the figure. The pointed staff glowed and absorbed the magical power. He then flipped it above his head and aimed it at Chihiro once more.

"Resurrection," he said simply and his staff turned a bright blue color, and the same energy Chihiro had summoned flew back at her. She was hit directly smashing into the wall on the other side of the room. She didn't know the power she truly contained, and a lot of memories hadn't come back, so fighting was still a new playing field, but that didn't hold her back. She stood up and summoned a new power. Both hands were in the air and out to the side of her body.

"I call upon the roots and trees of mother nature! Lend me your hands!"

The figure stood there laughing when nothing happened. Aria still laid on the couch, silently and peacefully. The fighting had not waken her, and Chihiro made sure none of the attacks would hit the poor child. Suddenly the glass windows in the room shattered as roots and branches sped into the room.

"Nature Magic, interesting." The figure took a fighting stance, but was no match for the sped of the roots and branches as they encircled him, holding him firmly in place.

Branches and roots held his body spread out; each of his arms and leads splayed out before Chihiro.

"Death is certainly something I don't want to cause, but your making it hard for me."

"You would kill me for the life of a puny human? You are no better then I." he stated as his eyes grew dark.

"I am better because I realize she deserves life more then you do, but I am not one to judge who lives and dies, that's the High Gods choice."

"Says the child who is the daughter of a High God. You have power and authority, you might as well use it."

"Power and authority me-Wait...What did you say?" Chihiro stared at the figure with wide eyes.

"You heard me correctly, child of a High God. You should've already known that. Your mother would be greatly disappointed at how you were using your power. Using it for the stupidest of reasons, or how relentless she would be towards you."

"How do you know...am I truly the child of a High God? What do you know?!" Chihiro started to lose focus on the main purpose of fighting and started engaging herself in what the figure had said.

"Like I said before, I know more things then you think I know."

the figure closed his eyes, mumbled a few words and the branches and roots suddenly snapped, sending pieces of bark flying into the air. A flurry of dead life now rained down around Chihiro as she stared at the figure with those wide eyes. She wanted to know what he knew about her, she wanted to know who she was, but a laugh interrupted her thought.

"You want to know? Knowledge is hard to obtain, but you will obtain nothing from me. I will be back, even if the girl is gone, we have a score to settle you piece of scum."

With a flip of his staff, the figure was gone in a puff of smoke, leaving nothing behind. Aria had started to stir on the couch, but Chihiro still remained in the center of the room stunned.

"Chihiro," said an urgent voice behind her, but she made no notion to respond to it.

* * *

**Here's the second part! :D Thank you for reviewing the last chapter and hope everyone continues to read. Hopefully I'll have the next chapter out soon, so be on the lookout. Thank you again and hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	54. Chapter 54 Wandering Souls

**I have an important question on the bottom of the story. Please check it out and tell me what you think would be best. I also own none of the characters in Spirited Away, except for my own.**

* * *

It had been a few hours since the cloaked man had arrived back at his Master's headquarters. His staff clicked as it made contact with the floor as he made his way down a dim lit hallway. Torches flickered along the walls, sending shadows creeping along the floors, looking as if they were going to grab your feet and whisk you into the dark. Cobwebs decorated the aged walls that were covered in mold and the air was filled with a damp feeling. The underground route below his master's headquarters led to where the human cells would be.

A minute later he reached a giant door, intricate markings looped around the door's outer covering, forming various swirls and shapes. The man lifted his staff and took a stance. He whispered a few words through his pursed lifts. They slipped into the moldy air, echoing throughout the underground chamber. Then the staff was pointed out in front of him as it started to glow. Crystal dots of energy lifted off the staff and an immense amount of energy formed at its edge. He lifted it into the air and cracked it onto the ground, the sound resonating all over the cavern.

"Open thy doors," he said in a deep voice.

The blast crashed into the door, and the energy started to trace and fill the empty loops. As the last of the energy filled the crevices in the door, it formed a shape, which made the cloaked man smirk under his wrappings. A thunderous click sounded and the doors creaked open, revealing yet another dark hallway.

"Oh the fun they will have down here. If they were only of more use," he stated with a laugh. "The more free will for us."

As he flipped the staff behind his back he made his way into the hallway, the doors shutting right behind him.

* * *

In the Northern Basca Plains, two humans laid on the ground unconscious. Both about five feet away from each other, their breathing steady, but their attire a mess. They looked rather young, seven or eight perhaps, supposedly twins by their appearance. Once was a girl and the other a boy; one had light blond hair, the girl, while the boy has jet black hair. Their bodies rested curled up on the ground; however, the girl had begun to stir before the boy made any notion to move.

The young girl winced, but coerced herself up and looked around. The forest around her was completely alien to her knowledge, she had no idea where she was. She called out to her mom and few times but no response came. She struggled to get up and her eyes had started to water. Although, the ground under her was cover in slick, wet mud. This caused her to lose her footing and collapse to the ground getting mud all over her. Salty streaks had started to make their way down her face, fear raging in her eyes as she realized her parents were nowhere around. Her sobs resounded through the trees, and were carried through the light wind blowing through the forest.

The boy's ears twitched as he heard his sister's cries. His arms stretched out and his eyes fluttered open, but closed against the bright sun for a moment. A yawn escaped his lips and he turned his body to glance over at his sister.

"Livia," he said in a light voice. "What's wrong?"

The young girl turned to her brothers and let out another sob.

"I don't...don't...I-I don't know where we are. Mom and dad are gone!"

"Livia, calm down. Of course they're-" The young boy stopped talking as he glanced at his surroundings. He suddenly realized where they were, the middle of the woods. The twisted his neck around and saw nothing but trees and the sobs of his twin sister.

"Livia, everything will be alright."

"Peter," she cried. "I want to go home."

"I know...Do you think we got lost? Weren't mom and dad right behind us?"

"I remember someone calling our names, then everything turning black, Peter. I...I remember nothing except someone calling our names and this dizzy feelings."

"I-I-I remember that too," he said with a hint of realization in his voice. That uncanny dizziness that hit him before he black out, he definitely remembered that.

"Peter, where are we?"

"Livia, you already asked that," he muttered. "I don't know. Come on let's go see."

The two young children got up and looked around at the towering trees around them. Where in the world were they?

* * *

Aria sat on the couch rubbing her eyes, but noticed everyone was in the room with her surrounding Chihiro. She blinked a few times.

_'What had happened?'_

_'Why did she have this heavy feeling of drowsiness overcoming her still?'_

_'What had she passed out?'_

_'What was wrong with Chihiro?'_

Aria sat quietly on the couch, and tucked her long blond hair behind her ears, along with her deep green eyes staring at the groups of spirits in front of her. She watched them converse for a while, trying to find out some of the information she couldn't before.

"Chihiro did he hurt you?" Haku asked in a nervous voice. Her was gripping her shoulders at the moment making her stare into his emerald eyes. His eyes searched her face to see if there was any fear or doubt.

"Haku," she said quietly. "I'm fine."

"What did he do to you?" Haku continued to press on with the questions, and Chihiro simply sighed.

"Nothing...He just wanted to take Aria, but I wouldn't let him, but...He said he was going to kill. He said he was going to kill me because I was just as filthy as a human, as well as worthless."

"The bastard," growled Haku.

"Look at the dragon getting overprotective,' said Kokatsuna. "You're overreacting, Haku. Chihiro's clearly fine at the moment. We know what he said to her, but give her a bit to settle down. The room is filled with a sens of strong magic." Kokatsuna turned to Chihiro. "Did you use magic?"

"I used what came to my mind. I kind of did it subconsciously. I knew what I was doing, but I did't at the same time. This whole magic thing is still new to me, but our main problem isn't me right now, it's-"

That's when Chihiro looked over and saw Aria sitting quietly on the couch. Chihiro let out a smile.

"You'e a clever one aren't you," said Chihiro. "Keeping quiet and listening for answers. I'm sorry, but we still can't reveal anything to you."

At that moment Aria stood up, confident, tall and demanding.

"Why? Why can't you tell me? I'm the one who's being affected here. Why can't I know?"

"Because," said Okami. "If we told you, we wouldn't be hurting ourselves, we would be hurting you as well. It's best if we keep this problem a secret for now. We know the rest of this world is starting to see changes they have never experienced along with your world, but not revealing the problem is the best way to keep it under control right now."

Aria stood there and looked towards the floor, hair falling in front of her face in the process.

"When am I going back?" she muttered.

"Soon," replied Hana. "Soon child. We promise to get you back as soon as possible."

Hana walked over to Aria, stood in front of her, and lowered herself to Aria's eye level. Hana looked into the girl's green eyes, and the girls looked into Hana's green eyes. They both seemed to share somewhat of a bond at this moment. They both seemed to understand something the other was going through. At the moment Aria heard Hana's voice ring in her head.

_'I can't tell you everything, but I can explain a few things. Later I will come to you, and I will allow you to ask me three questions. That is all I can do for you for the time being, but it's better then nothing.'_

Aria stared at Hana then let out a little smile. Afraid of the other's hearing, Aria thought back to Hana

_'Thank you," thought Aria._

_"No problem," thought Hana. "Anything for a fellow green eyes person.'_

Hana winked at Aria and ruffled her hair she then turned around and faced the rest of the group who had gathered at the door. Haku spoke up and stated that it was best if they arranged a plan to get Aria back soon. Haku explained to Aria that it might be two to three days before they could get her back, considering the doorways between this world and the next were closed expect for the ones the Warping Spells had opened.

Aria let out a nod, and followed the others out of the room, trailing behind Hana as she did so. She still felt abandoned at the fact she was being put into a dark corner, not allowed to know anything.

"Is this world really that bad?" she whispered to herself. "What is out there?" At that moment Aria let her mind wander as she glanced out the window at the vast unknown world she was currently in.

* * *

Kaze stretched and let out a yawn as he got up from bed. Sure it was the middle early morning, not the usual time he woke up, but there were many important things to do besides sleeping all day.

A knock was heard at the door.

"Master," said a youthful voice. "Juv is down in the caverns, the human cells. He has arrived back, but without the human you asked for."

Kaze let out a sigh, but waved the voice off.

"Tell him I will speak to him within an hour. Have him meet me in my chamber."

"Yes, sir." The youthful then faded, and footsteps were heard clicking down the hall.

"Juv? Was it that hard to obtain a single, puny human?" Kaze asked himself.

* * *

**Important question (leave answer in a review, anonymous reviews are accepted): Which would you rather have: a long story, like 300,000- (or longer) words, or a 200,000 words story and a sequel for Winds of the Lost.**

**And so here is the next chapter. Thank you all for the reviews, as well as the hits to this story! I love you all for it. Please, let me know how I'm doing, am if I doing a good or bad job. You can leave me a review, or just plainly pm me, your choice. I would like to thank**

**Skoteri-Kodoma (times 2 :3)**

**Guest**

**Scarlet Ammo 19**

**Sarah James**

**THANK YOU ALL! :D I have finally reached 170 reviews, love ya all. Now let's see how many more I can get. Since I got surgery, I'm officially bound to the couch for a few days. Expect a chapter tomorrow morning, or later tonight. See ya soon and hope u enjoyed the chapter! In the meantime, if you're looking for another story to read, check out my other stories The Lies and the Heart and Alone in the Mist. :)**


	55. Chapter 55 Reading and Training Day

"Sir," came a voice. "You called?"

The man in the chair across the room simply lifted his hand and ushered the voice over. He sat there with his hands crossed as he looked out the window, admiring the mountains and valleys that were before him.

"Juv," he said simply. "What occurred that caused the human not to be captured?"

Juv stood there, leaning on his staff, and let out a laugh. He stood up and walked over to the man sitting in the chair, still laughing as he took each step.

"Kaze," said Juv as he put his hand on his shoulder. "That girl is rather something. Would've been wrong to cause some damage to her pretty face. You know who I am referring to right? Your lovely Chihiro. The girl is quite powerful, but still doesn't know how to tame her power. You know I'm not one for fighting and violence, don't know why you sent me. You said it would be an easy capture, but of course in the end, when is anything ever easy with those pests? In the end though...That girl, Chihiro, is on my list. She is still part human you know."

"I know," replied Kaze. "That's why I need her...The free will...But I still want my love back. That dragon has no right to claim her."

"Someone is getting protective," chuckled Juv.

Kaze then looked at Juv out of the corner of his eye.

"Your lucky I allow you to talk to me like that. You have been my friend for quite some time, Juv. Only few can joke around with me as you do."

"And I take pleasure in it," replied Juv. "But dear friend, how long has it been since I supposedly died? How long ago was the last Great War? I remember fighting...But my memory is hazy."

"It's been over five thousand years, Juv." Kaze stated. "Five thousand years since you have fallen from your mighty throne up in the sky."

* * *

Chihiro laid on the floor holding a book above her head. She had been reading through different books for the past few hours. Okami had showed the group a library he had downstairs and he said that there may be a book to help Chihiro, or someone, figure out how to stop the warping spell. Casting a spell was rather easy, reversing one, a totally different story.

"This is so complicated," groaned Chihiro. "I have looked through at least thirty books and have found nothing, nothing at all."

"We all feel your pain," the group said simultaneously.

"I," stated Chirashi loudly.

Everyone at that moment stared at Chirashi with glimpses of hope in their eyes. They watched her intently, their dread of reading so many books slipping away.

"Have found nothing," she finished.

Kokatsuna picked up a book and chucked it at Chirashi.

"Way to lead us on!"

Chirashi caught the book in midair and glared at Kokatsuna. That triggered a loud argument between the two to commence. They both stood in front of each other arguing about useless nonsense; each of them in each other faces, eyes glaring and voices booming.

Chihiro fell back onto the floor and a book fell on top of her face. Those two had been fighting earlier during breakfast, she couldn't stand it anymore. They had also fought a bit at lunch because Chirashi took the last rice ball. Her mind seemed to drift off, their bickering less noticeable to her, but more thoughts cramming into her head. What had happened yesterday was still in her mind. It hadn't faded once, and it just brought more concerns along with it.

Chihiro lifted the book off her face a few inches and glanced over at Aira. She just sat there on the couch on the other side of the room, looking through different books. The bordem on her face was rather clear. Her eyes were starting to drift shut, blond hair hanging in her face, green eyes slowly disappearing, limbs starting to fall asleep. Chihiro let out a smile at the sight of the girl, just the fact that she was safe. She couldn't have been any happier that Aria was still here safe and sound.

An image of Kaze suddenly crossed her mind, and a shiver traveled down her back: his piercing golden eyes, his long blond hair, the black robe that fit so neatly around his body, making him look lethal, yet stunning. Why hadn't he just come himself? Wouldn't he have wanted to capture Chihiro as well? Wouldn't he have wanted to get close to her, at least to whisk her away again?

"Kaze..." she muttered to herself.

"You idiot!"

"You jackass!"

"Damn you!"

"Same back to you!"

The two were still going at each other, an Chihro was about to sit up and end the bickering, but a loud voice echoed through the room.

"Quit it! I have heard enough of you arguing!"

Chihiro knew that voice, and when she turned around, she saw Haku standing there. His face was serious and stern, however, he did look rather tired and exhausted. The book that he was reading now lay open on the floor next to him. Chihiro could see the frustration running through him, she could even see his veins pumping by his temple. Chirashi and Kokatsuna looked over at Haku with wide eyes, both easily stunned by the yelling he just did.

"You two have been arguing all day. I have heard enough nonsense and crap. Enough crap has been occurring already! With the incident yesterday, and this whole thing, we don't need to hear you two!"

The two spirits stood in front of Haku and each gave a small nod. They started to take a few steps back and retreated to their domains of reading. Haku stood there glaring at each of them, but was oblivious to the fact that everyone else in the room was staring right at him.

"Haku..." interrupted Chihiro. "Don't get so flustered."

At the sound of her voice, Haku slowly became calm again and he turned to look at Chihiro. He gave her a small smile, he picked up the book, then walked over to Chihiro. Haku finally noticed everyone in the room was still staring at him.

"Ummm...you guys can go back to what you were doing."

Everyone then glanced at Haku once more and went back to reading the books they had in their hands. Haku now sat by Chihiro, a smile crossing his face.

"Sorry 'bout that," he said flashing his teeth.

"It's fine," she replied with a sigh. "I was going to end up doing something if no one did anything. I coudn't stand listening to those two argue anymore."

"I rarely see those two argue."

"Yeah," said Chihiro as she looked over at the two spirits. "In fact, I haven't seen them really fight the whole time I have been here."

"Yeah, they usually don't fight. I wonder what's going on between the two of them."

"They'll figure out whatever problem they have."

"I hope," said Haku as he glanced at Kokatsuna. "I just wonder what their problem is exactly."

"Maybe love is in the air."

"There has been enough love in the air around here but," Haku winked his eye. "There hasn't been much of us lately."

Chihiro looked over at Haku with a confused look, surprised he would say such a thing. He was a rather serious person and the ground of "love" didn't seem to be his domain. She wondered what was going on in his mind, but her reply stay the same, but she reminded herself she would figure out why he was acting like this. "Now is not the time to flirt with me."

Haku raised an eyebrow at that.

"Someone is being serious."

"This is a serious situation," she said with a low voice.

* * *

Hours had past, and no usual information had popped up. The group retired for a break that night, but apparently the next day had turned into a free day as well. It was now late afternoon, the sun still high in the sky and a nice breeze blowing. The group was hanging around outside enjoying the nice day at hand. In the end, they all really knew they couldn't truly relax, so their idea of free time was training.

A coordination of fights or matches had been set up, each person of the group was assigned to fight another. Some matches were based on abilities and skills, while others were just plain random. At the moment Haku and Kokatsuna were going at it, the ancient bird and the airborne dragon fighting the sky. Chihiro, Hana, Okami, Chirashi and Aria watched from below. The match had been going on for some time, and it was easy to tell both spirits were equally tired.

"Five minutes left," Chihiro called from down below. Each match was based off of a thirty minute time limit. The two spirits continued to fight, their tactics growing more ferocious as time dwindled down.

Everyone down below could hear the clashes of each attack and the squawks and roars ringing through the air. Kokatsuna and Haku had scratches and injuries covering theit bodies, they weren't going lightly on each other. When the time came to face an enemy, it wasn't going to be easy, so train hard now and be ready for later.

Haku whipped his body Around Kokatsuna's attack and opened his mouth. A ball of energy started to form in the back of his throat, then a burst of roaring winds escaped his throat. It looked sort of like a funnel of wind and it headed right towards Kokatsuna. Kokatsuna saw this and soared upward. He flexed his wings out to the side, opening them as wide as he could, and they began to glow. Each individual feather lit up with light energy, and Kokatsuna swept both wings forward unleashing an attack of shards of light right at Haku.

Everyone down below watched in awe at the sight of the two fighting. Hana watched intently, her eyes focused on each of their movements and attacks. A thought suddenly floated into her mind, and she started to question herself.

_'Who was next to fight,' she thought._

Hana saw the list on the table next to her and she picked it up. She let her eyes scan the sheet and then they widened.

_'You have to be kidding me...I'm fighting Chihiro?!'_

* * *

**Hello my fellow readers! To all of you out there Happy New year! I hope you had a wonderful time with your families and friends. Lets hope 2013 will be a great year overall! Now here's the next chapter and...I looked at the reviews I got and have decided...there will be a sequel to this :) I'll let you guys know when we are nearing the end. Tell your friends about the story :P and more importantly continue to review! I would like to thank the following for reviewing!:**

**Breezy**

**ludin**

**Skoteri-Kodoma**

**Cloud99999**

**Jo-jo1325**

**Thank you everyone! Continue to review and enjoy the week!**


	56. Chapter 56 Fighting and Friendship

A giant ancient like bird fell to the ground, a loud thump occurred and a squawk echoed though the air. There lay a bird, larger then any one of normal size, and golden feathers covering its body. A black trail of feathers ran from its head all the way down to its tail and the tip of its wings contained spots of white. Its sharp talons were also tucked underneath it, black talons that would kill you in an instant if they sank into you. Its brown orbs stared up at its opponent who graciously hung in the sky above it. A low groan escaped the creatures lips as it stood to its lips and flexed its wings. It flapped them a few times and let out a squawk. Suddenly the bird bowed to its opponent above it, accepting the defeat that befell itself.

_'Nice fight Haku,' _the creature thought. _'You win.'__  
_

The dragon above the creature smirked and let out a roar, seemingly it sounded like a laugh in a way. It suddenly dipped its body down and soared towards the creature. In a rush of wind, it landed on the ground without a sound to be heard anywhere. The fur from its mane settled and it approached the ancient bird that stood in front. The dragon crept forward until it was directly in front of the other creature. The dragon suddenly lifted its body into the air and threw itself at the bird. The bird not expecting that, let out another squawk and staggered back.

_'What the hell?!' _the bird thought, causing the dragon to laugh.

_'Just having a little fun,' _it thought. _'Nice fight Kokatsuna, I really enjoyed it._

The bird just rolled its eyes and threw its body against the dragon. Both of them engaged in a play fight that involved a lot of pushing and shoving, laughs escaping into the air as it continued on.

* * *

"You idiots! Stop shoving each other, the next match has to start!"

Okami stood on the side waving his hands in the air. He was beginning to get annoyed at the two considering they were engaging in child's play. This way their break, training, and sure they could have a little fun, but they were just acting like total idiots at the moment. Who knew Haku could be such a child.

"Haku! Get your butt over here, or I'll...I'll...I got nothing." Okami threw his hand sin the air, signaling his defeat.

Kokatsuna and Haku faced each other, sharing a laugh about Okami's reaction. The two of them nodded towards each other and congratulated on another, soon heading towards the group. Chihiro picked up the list, still unaware of who was supposed to go next, and let her eyes roam the page. As she got down towards the bottom she spotted her name.

_'Wonder who I'm versing._'

Chihiro's eyes slowly moved to the right, and she then spotted the name. Chihiro blinked a few times and double checked the list to make sure she read it correctly. Reading it over five times didn't seem to make the name change, yup she was definitely versing Hana. The name on the page was as clear as day and it wasn't going to magically disappear off the page.

"So," said a voice behind Chihiro. Chihiro turned to see Hana standing behind her. "Who's next."

Chihiro wasn't exactly sure about how to answer Hana's question, so she just simply handed the list to her. Hana grabbed the list and scanned it over just as Chihiro had done. As her eyes reached the bottom, they widened. The list almost fell out of her hand as she stood there, completely exasperated.

"there's something wrong with the list!" Hana cried. "Why am I fighting Chihiro?!"

Chihiro just stood there watching Hana rant her mouth off, she felt a tinge of what Hana was feeling, but she could say Hana was going overboard a bit. Hana continued to yell her head off, the others looking over at her.

"The list was random," said Chirashi. "I selected the names with whoever came out of the hat first. The matches are to stay the way they are, you are fighting Chihiro no matter what."

Both girls hesitantly looked at each other, both probably thinking the same idea as to why they had to fight each other. They weren't exactly on th best terms at the moment, and a match was going to solve anything between them. At most, it was going to make the distance between them increase, if one of them started venting out their anger on the other.

Chihro and Hana walked out onto the field just as Haku and Kokatsuna were making their way to the sidelines. Haku glanced over at Chihiro and saw the look on her face, but he quickly mouthed something to her.

_'Don't start any trouble.'_

Chihiro looked at him and nodded, knowing that this was just a training match, nothing more. The girls stepped onto the field and glanced at each other for a moment, then they each took a defense stance. Chirashi stood on the sidelines and gulped hoping this wasn't going to end badly. Everyone else had the same thoughts in their mind, they knew this wasn't the best pairing in the world.

Chirashi lifted her hand into the air.

"On your mark."

Both girls lowered their stances.

"Get set!"

Their eyes peered into one another.

"Go!"

Both their bodies were launched into the center of the field where they would meet, a disaster waiting to happen.

* * *

Mizutohi stood behind Zeniba peaking out the window. Her eyes keenly watched the walkway in front of the witch's house for any sign of danger. She had been standing there for quite some time now, and with nothing to do, this was the only thing she could do. Well, not the only thing. the witch had asked her to help plants seeds int he garden, but Mizutohi had decided to remain inside.

"Wonder what the others are doing," she mumbled to herself.

She had been here for some time now and had not seen the others in a while. The days had passed fast and there had been no contact between her and the group. Kaze was probably planning some evil plot, while the group was scouting danger or training. In the end, she knew she had to remain here. It was her job to protect the witch. Mizutohi could sense that something was important about the witch, that she would be important in the future, but for now it was her job to stand guard.

"Those idiots better be doing their job, but knowing them they're probably causing problems in some far off land."

Mizutohi let out a sigh and tucked a blue stray hair behind her ear.

* * *

Chihiro parried a punch from Hana then aimed an uppercut towards her stomach. Hana saw this coming out of the corner of her eye and quickly dodged, Chihiro's hand missing her by a few inches. Hana leapt back and took her defense stance once more, ready for anything Chihiro was going to throw at her.

Chihiro watched Hana cautiously and saw her take her stance. Chihiro glanced at how her feet were placed on the ground and how her body was positioned. Chihiro noticed the way her hands were positioned, and how they gave her a wide open hit to the face. In the end though, Chihiro knew Hana wasn't stupid. Her body suddenly itself launched at Hana, except she attacked from under Hana with great speed. Hana saw this and went to block it, but at the last second Chihiro slipped past Hana's arms and knocked her right in the chin.

Hana, surprised by the sudden hit, stumbled back.

_'How,' _she thought. _'How did I fall for that? Am I that stupid? If Chihiro wants to play like that, fine. I have some little surprises up my sleeve too.'_

Hana put both her hands together and closed her eyes. She could feel the root's energy pulsating beneath her, and she could also sense the energy of all the nature around her. It was like a heartbeat, beating at a syncopated pace, thumping against the ground every few seconds. It was like the earth and all the nature around her had feelings, she could feel every bit of it. In other words, Hana was the interpreter of nature, bound to the earth and all the living things around.

Hana felt a familiar power slip into her fingertips and she drove her hands up. For a moment nothing happened, then the ground shook, roots flying into the air. Hana's hands moved on their own, pulling themselves back and then driving forward towards Chihiro. Just as if the roots were connected to Hana's hands, they flew forward at Chihiro at an incredible speed.

Chihiro stood there for a moment quite fazed, but she forced herself to jump out of the way. Time seemed to slow and Chihiro could see the roots moving below her, but time suddenly sped up again, reality picking up once more. They redirected themselves right at her, spiraling into the air at their prey. The roots cut through the air as if they were nothing and Chihiro couldn't keep up with their speed. She tried to fly out of the way but she was a second too late. A root suddenly snaked around her ankle and dragged her body down to the earth below.

Hana smirked and kept her hand movements steady. The "Rapisu" from before wouldve been able to dodge that with ease, but Chihiro was still unaware of how to control her powers. Hana took advantage of that a second ago and let the roots capture her. Hana watched as Chihiro's body slam against the ground, dirt flying into the air as it happened. Hana figured this match was going to be an easy once, she watched as Chihiro was encircled with roots. They wound around her extremely tight and there was no escape in sight.

Chihiro struggled against the roots, clueless as to how to escape. She tried to imagine unraveling the roots that encompassed her, but nothing happened. Her powers seemed to be in a twist along with her mind, she just couldn't think straight. The powers that lay within her at the moment seemed to be dormant. They were there and flowed through Chihiro's body with no problem, there was no blockage of some sort. Chihiro continued to try to trigger the powers she had. The countless attempts failed in the end, no matter how much she tried to concentrate nothing happened.

"Dammit," Chihiro cried. The roots were squeezing her more and more, the air flow to and from her lungs becoming difficult to control. "Why can't they just work? Why!"

Her eyes quickly shut and she screamed aloud once more.

"Just work already!"

A black aura suddenly surrounded Chihiro, soon spreading to the roots. Hana saw this occur and watched out of curiosity. One second Chihiro's powers weren't working and the next she had a sudden outburst of it.

_'She doesn't know how to control it.'_ Hana suddenly remembered back to when they had fought, a fight similar to this. She remembered Chihiro going through the same thing, the frustration building and the same black aura surrounding her. The last time that had happened Chihiro almost lost control of herself or Rapisu in other words.

The aura started to taint the roots and they began to blacken. The grip of the roots on Chihiro started to loosen. A snap of some sort occurred and the roots started to break apart, pieces of them flying into the air. They continued to blacken and wither away to nothing. Dead plant life soon surrounded Chihiro, the aura killing anything within five feet of her. The grass had darkened and wilted, turning lifeless and dry. Chihiro stood there and just looked upon Hana. Her eyes had no feeling as she looked upon the green headed girl.

Hana watched Chihiro from afar, wide eyed and frightened. The girl had killed the roots and destroyed them with no problem. Hana could now sense that the power at her finger tips was very faint. She felt the pain of the dead roots and the grass, they cried to her, weeping at the pain Chihiro had caused them.

Everyone on the sidelines stared at the one lone powerful spirit standing in the center of the field. The air was heavy around the sidelines and the field; silence was the only thing existent at the moment. Haku's emerald eyes couldn't beleive what they were seeing. Chihiro stood in front of him, she looked nothing like the person he knew. He body was hunched over, her eyes emotionless, a sense of anger coursed through her. He didn't know what had triggered that power to arise so suddenly. Haku knew such power existed in her, but it had only surfaced when they were in grave danger, not in practice matches.

"Chihiro," Haku called out. "Calm down!"

Chihiro made no notion to react, her body remaining still and the aura still surrounding her. Hana stood on the field motionless, afraid to move. Chirashi, Kokatsuna, Okami and Haku saw that Chihiro was unstable, but none wanted to interfere at the moment, afraid that Chihiro might go out of control.

Besides them, Chihiro stood there, unsure about what was happening. She was there on that field but at the same time she was somewhere else. It felt as though another being was controlling her. The power that was controlling her now was overwhelming, taking over Chihiro's thoughts and clouding her mind. She wanted to continue to fight but something held her in place. Chihiro concentrated on the power coursing through her, telling it to retreat back into its domain, telling it that it was not needed at the moment. She guessed her body had figured she was in danger, the frustration that she had contributing to the reason why it had come out.

The power controlling Chihiro could see her thoughts, it could see she wanted it gone; however, the power thought Chihiro was in danger, that it needed to protect her. Chihiro tried to force the power to realize that this was training and not in battle.

_'Please go away. I don't want to harm anyone. Trust me, I'm safe. I have no need for you right now, please retreat back.'_

Suddenly a wave of power flowed into Chihiro, but quickly dissipated. The aura around her faded as quickly as it had came, the power had chosen to accept the fact it was not needed. It retreated back into its domain. A sigh of relief escaped Chihiro's lips as she was brought back into her reality. Her eyes blinked a few times, trying to get back into the correct mindset.

"I'm," she said aloud, pausing for a moment. "Am ready to continue."

Hana and the others looked upon Chihiro, unsure about what had occurred. They were truly unaware of the situation Chihiro had currently been in. Hana was uncertain if she wanted to continue to fight Chihiro. Was she going to lash out again? Was that power going to override her once more?

"Please," Chihiro whispered. "Don't stare at me like I'm a monster."

Hana heard the crack in Chihiro's voice. Guilt suddenly swept over Hana, and a sign of sympathy. Hana once again realized that Chihiro was still learning, something like this should've been expected.

"You aren't a monster," replied Hana out of the blue. "You just don't know how to control your power yet."

"But I...I just..."

"Don't blame yourself," came another voice. Okami stepped forward from the sidelines. "You aren't used to them, we understand."

"I-"

"Stop worrying you dimwit," Hana said smiling. "Come on, show me what you got. I'll take whatever you throw at me, but one important rule , never let your powers control you, you control them."

Chihiro stood there staring at Hana, one second she looked as scared as hell and the next she was joking. Did they really not care about what had just happened? Were they going to pass it up as if it were nothing?

"Accidents happen," Hana said aloud. "They occur and they pass. We're here to train, which involves making mistakes. The problem is if you don't learn from them you'll never move forward. It you purposefully summon that power again to hurt someone, then we would have the right to be mad at you. However, it was an accident and that can be looked over. Now," she said with a laugh. "We are wasting time. The clock is ticking and we still haven't had a decent fight. Come on Chihiro, surprise me."

Hana stood there and took her fighting stance once more, and a friendly expression was visible to Chihiro.

_'Why is Hana acting so nice?'_

Chihiro stood there for a moment and nodded. Hana saw Chihiro's expression and she could seemingly read it very easily.

_'I'm acting like I am because I'm not heartless, you idiot. I do feel your troubles, I understand where your coming from. I want to be your friend, all you have to do is let me in.'_

* * *

**_And here is the next chapter...Sorry if there's errors in it, I didn't read it over. If there's anything that needs to be fixed, let me know. Thanks for all the reviews everyone! I love you all :D Hope you enjoyed the chapter overall and the fighting will continue into next chapter and Kaze will finally execute another plan. Anyone wondering why Kaze said Juv had fallen from his throne in the sky? If you were, it will be answered in the next few chapters, along with the story behind Chihiro's mother. Thanks for all the views and reviews once again! Continue to read and review! Enjoy the rest of the week and see you soon :D_**


	57. Chapter 57 The Woman and the Wind

Water droplets hung in the air around Chihiro and roots stood tall next to Hana. Both of them watching each other closely, waiting for the other one to make a move. Chihiro's hand were held up in the air, her fingers bent a bit. Hana's hands were straight out in front of her waiting for Chihiro to make the next move. Each of them breathed slowly, their chests rising and falling. Their eyes concentrated on one another's body parts, noticing the slightest twitch or movement.

_'I see an open area,'_ Chihiro thought. '_If only I could make her legs a bit more exposed.'_

The water that hung around Chihiro was being controlled by her powers, in other words, magic. She could move the water freely through the air, making it flow in whichever direction she pleased, but there was also the spell side to it. Calling out a spell could change the form of the water, making it into a weapon of some sort or summon it in a different way; however, this was different then simply moving the water through the air as if were extra limbs that were apart of Chihiro's body.

_'I don't know a spell to call out though. I need a spell that will allow for me to do something with this water, besides simply directing it through the air.'_

Suddenly Chihiro blanked out for a moment, a voice echoing in her head.

_'Water around me, I command thee. Flow gracefully, but strike fast. Combine as one, but break and strike as vast.'_

The voice faded, but she remembered the words. She guessed it was a memory, a little piece that had come back at a moment when she needed it. The voice didn't sound like hers, but it sounded familiar. Her eyes cautiously drifted back to Hana's form now that she was aware again and saw Hana had changed her position. Her feet were more centered and her hands were out to the side, hands open and fingers uncurled. The roots had shifted as well and they stood tall at Hana's side, and had a position that looked like one of a cobra; ready to strike at any moment.

_'The area around her legs is open, but she could easily move the roots and form a shield in front of her. The spell I just heard in my head, it should fit this situation, but I could also just simply hit her with a direct attack.'_

Chihiro slid her left foot forward a bit and bent her knees. Hana saw this and her body became more stiff, waiting for an attack to come. Chihiro's hands were brought in front of her, both of them side by side and she started to call out the spell.

"Water around me, I command thee. Flow gracefully, but strike fast. Combine as one, but break and strike as vast." A soft blue hue formed around Chihiro's hands and the droplets around her started to circle around her hands. A spiraling mass of water continued to form in front of Chihiro, Hana at the same time readied herself for the oncoming attack. The funnel of water suddenly condensed around Chihiro's hands and then exploded in a stream that was sent right in Hana's direction.

Hana's hands flew forward and crossed in front of her body. Her stance was lowered, her knees bending a bit. Her eyes watched the oncoming funnel of water and then called out a spell of her own.

"The links of nature, move at my will: cross and bind. Protect that who wields you, the one who's life is on the line."

The roots that were under Hana's control grew quickly, the ground rumbling as they shot out. They entwined with one another like the weaves of a basket. Some wrapped around each other, but after a few moments, a shield of roots was in front of Hana which would easily guard her from Chihiro's attack, so she thought.

The stream of water that was heading towards Hana suddenly split into little water like shards. They shot past Hana's shield and continued to travel till they were in the one place that was left unguarded, her back. Chihiro smirked and now knew how the spell truly worked. She had guessed how it worked from how the words were phrased like "Combine as one, but break and strike as vast". The water was one single stream, like it had been as it traveled towards Hana, then it broke apart and was going to strike a point which was most vulnerable.

Hana noticed that no attack had hit the shield of roots she had created. She spread her hands out a bit and some of the roots moved out of the away, letting Hana see in front of her. Hana could spot Chihiro standing there and she noticed that Chihiro was still in a defense stance, but why? Where had the attack gone?

"You should pay more attention, Hana." Chihiro spoke and continued to smile, she knew she had a clear hit. Then out of nowhere she said a single word before Hana could reply. "Strike."

Hana stood there clueless but felt a presence behind her. She let her guard down, the roots disappearing into the ground, and turned to see what was there. There, right in front of her, were hundreds of water like shards pointed at her.

_'How?' _Hana thought. '_How did the attack end up behind me? Wait...Chihiro said something along the lines of combine as one then break and strike...The water must've-'_

Hana never got to finish her thought because the water shards flew straight at her. They pierced her body, every single part of it. She was too slow to bring up a defense and her body was thrown back due to the force of the attack. She landed with a 'thump' on the ground. A series of sharp sensations coursed through her whole body, and she was unable to move.

Chihiro stood several feet away from Hana, smiling to herself. She finally did an attack correctly and it looked as if she had one the training match.

_'Finally, I got an attack right without losing control or anything.'_

"The winner of this match is," called Chirashi from the sidelines. "Chihiro."

Chihiro stood in the place she was in for a moment then looked up at the others on the sidelines, mainly Haku though. She could see a small smile on his face, basically telling her she had done a nice job. Her attention was then directed to Hana who was struggling to get up.

_'I better help her,' _she thought.

Chihiro then walked over to Hana and stood over her offering a hand.

"Nice fight, Hana."

* * *

The two little children had been wandering through the forest for about a day and a half now, or close to it. The brother grasped his twin sister's hand and led her through the forest. Their stomachs had been grumbling for the past half a day, but were quiet at the moment. The little girl wiped her nose with her sleeve. She had been crying for two reasons; one, she missed her parents, two, she wanted something to eat. The brother wanted to act like the "braver" child, so he continued to tell his sister that everything was going to be alright.

"Livia," the boy said his sister. "Everything will be alright. We'll see mom and dad soon and we'll find food, I promise."

"You said that yesterday, Peter. I want food, I'm hungry." The eight year old girl started to cry once more.

The little boy, Peter, continued to walk his sister through the forest. He tried to ignore his sister's cries but he knew what she was feeling, athough he didn't deem it necessary for her to scream constantly for the past six hours. He began to wonder how his eight year old twin sister could cry so much, and where in the world she got that big mouth from. He swore if there were creatures lurking around, they would've been attacked and eaten by now, but to his surprise, the forest around them was completely quiet.

Suddenly there was a rustle in the bushes causing Peter and Livia to turn around, their bodies frozen and still. Livia's cries were silenced as she watched the bushes where the sound had come from. Peter's eyes darted from his sister to the bushes. His mind was concentrated on keeping his sister safe, so on whim he tucked his sister behind his back. Livia stared up at him with wide eyes, but hers didn't meet his.

"Pet-"

"Shhh," Peter sounded as he put a hand up to silence his sister. Whatever was in those bushes, was something he didn't want to provoke. Both him and his sister remained stagnant as the rustling in the bushes continued. They shook violently, causing leaves to fly into the air and catch a light breeze. Everything around Peter and Livia was silent, the forest uttering no sound, the animals releasing no cries, and an uncomfortable silence hanging in the air.

"You two are quite the sight." A figure loomed over both twins, a crooked smile plastering her face at the same time. "What are two little children doing out here in the middle of the forest?" The voice that spoke was light and airy, but sweet.

Peter quickly turned around, tucking his sister behind his back once more,and looked upon a towering female, one he had to look all the way up to see. The woman looked normal, deep blue eyes, a white t-shirt with a heart on it, and a pair of denim shorts and sneakers. The only peculiar feature about the woman was her hair. It was an abnormal color, a sky blue, and her hair curled down her back. A hand rested on her hip as it was quirked oddly to one side. Her other hand rested lazily on her other leg.

"Who are you?" Peter glanced upon the woman, but wouldn't let her near his sister. He eyed the woman, and even though he was eight years old, he knew the woman looked suspicious. They were in the middle of the woods for gods sake. Why would a woman pop of out nowhere in the woods?

"Don't worry, I'm not here to harm you." The woman held a hand out and smiled. "I won't hurt you."

"I," Peter stuttered. "I don't trust you." Peter backed up and pushed his sister with him.

"Peter," said Livia. "Maybe she isn't bad. She looks like a good lady."

Peter glanced back at his sister and just looked at her. His expression was one that mentally told her to be quiet. He knew quite well that something wasn't right about the woman, her hair wasn't even natural; however, there was an odd comfort that emitted from her, her smile didn't make him feel unsafe.

"Child, trust your sister. I promise I won't harm you, I just want to help you. You're lost, right?" The lady pointed that out but Peter continued to stare at her, although Livia pushed past Peter's arm and walked towards her. Peter tried to stop her, but Livia continued to walk towards the lady then stood in front of her.

"Can you really help me, Miss?"

The woman looked down at the young girl and placed a hand on her head. A smile then crossed the woman's face.

"I can, young one. I'm here to help you, not to cause trouble."

"See," said Livia to Peter. "She's good."

Peter looked at the woman for a another moment, but then walked forward to stand beside his sister. The woman smiled at him too and a warmth washed over him. But a sudden breeze washed through the clearing they were in, a few strands of hair wandered into his face. Peter looked up to the trees in confusion. There had been no breezes all day, why would there be some now?

"What's your name?" Livia asked out of curiosity. Peter, still slightly distracted by the breeze washing in, turned to his sister and grasped her shoulder.

"That's not right to ask," stated Peter. "Mom told us that."

"Bu-"

"It's fine," said the woman cutting in. "My name you ask little one."

The woman crouched in front of Livia and Peter, meeting them at eye level. The woman looked into their eyes and seemed to search for something but then put a hand on each of their shoulders. The breeze around them all seemed to pick up a bit, more concentrated on the area Livia, Peter, and the woman were in.

"My name," she said softly. "Is Aria."

* * *

**DUN DUN DUN :D Cliffhanger ;) Sorry for not getting this out sooner, had a lot going on with my lovely schedule and all. Some of you might be wondering why there are two characters named Aria; a little girl and a woman both have the same name hmmm...anything clicking? I'll let you figure it out ;) All I'll say is...look back at what I said last chapter about what I was going to start to introduce :P**

**Thanks for all the reviews last chapter, and everyone who favorited and alerted as well! Love you all! Thank you...**

**evil-angel-sakura, Skoteri Kodoma, Breezy, colorful mist, Scarlet Ammo 19, Cloud99999, Jaxjax, fireprincess17, angelcake124, Cephira, and Late Knight.**

**I hope you guys continue to review, favorite, and alert :D Thank you and see you soon :)**


	58. Chapter 58 Troubling Spell

Chihiro swayed back and froth, boredom taking over, as she read the book she held in her hands. Even though yesterday had been a break from reading those millions of books in Okami's library, she and the others had to get back to their main objective. Her eyes continued to lazily scan the words on the page, the words becoming rather hazy as her eyes began to faze out. There had been no useful information in the past ten books she had scanned throughout the voluminous amount of them surrounding her in the squalid like room.

Okami's library was lined with an endless amount of books and novels. Dust from the thousands of years that had past covered their ancient bodies. The bindings that held them together, had secrets that had been long lost and forgotten; ones that pertained to the ancient magics of the Spirit World, only known to a few. Candles flickered around the library casting shadows that crept up from the floorboards. A fire breathed heat and life in the opposite corner of the room. Everyone took advantage of the fire's warmth and took refuge in front of it. Each person sat in a particular piece of furniture, curled up with a book in their hand.

The book Chihiro had in her hand at the moment was simply about ancient legends of the Spirit World. Words were splayed on the page, neatly printed and laid out; however, they were starting to fade considering Chihiro's eyes were becoming rather lazy. A yawn escaped her lips and she rubbed one of her eyes. She blinked a few times and then swiped her hand across the book flipping the page. There were a few spells hidden within the book itself, but none seemed to fit the situation they were in. The other thing really keeping Chihiro from losing concentration was the light humming emitting from Aria's mouth.

Aria's sat there with a hand on her cheek, as she examined a book filled with sorts of colorful pictures. Each one contained a different image; some of different landscapes, while others had extraordinary poses of graceful, almighty spirits. Chihiro could tell the young girl was engaged in the book very much, nothing seemed to distract her, nothing that would draw her attention away from the exotic book. Chihiro could understand why the young girl was so engaged and Chihiro couldn't help leaning forward and gazing at the book as well. Some of her hair fell on Aria's shoulder, causing her to turn to meet Chihiro's face that had a soft smile.

"Interesting book isn't it?" Chihiro looked at Aria's face.

"It is," she replied. "The creatures in here...they're amazing. I haven't seen anything like them before."

"That's what makes this world unique. Everything here compared to the human world is so exotic. Nothing is like the human world really, this world is rather special in its own way."

"I...I want to stay here," said Aria looking up at Chihiro. Chihiro smiled a little more and let out a sigh.

'I'm sorry Aria, but you just don't belong here, no matter how much you want to stay you have to go back. You have a family waiting for you, and you still have a full life to live. It is also too dangerous here, trust me, I was once in your position."

"What do you mean?"

"That," whispered Chihiro. "Is a story for another time." She then ruffled Aria's hair and returned to the book that was on her lap.

On the other side of the room sat Okami and Hana. Both of them sat in individual chairs that were faced away from each other. The fire on the other side of the room casting shadows upon their faces as they concentrated on the books they were reading. Hana let a sigh slip as she turned around in her chair. She pulled herself up and poked Okami on his shoulder.

"Hey," she muttered. "Have you found anything?"

"No," he replied with a lazy voice. "There is nothing useful in any of these books. I have so god damn many of 'em that I don't even remember what books I have."

Hana tried to stifle a laugh, but it slipped.

"You would be one to forget things like that." Hana smirked but recieved a low groan from Okami as a response. He let the book fall into his lap and he shoved Hana's head away from him, forcing her back into her chair. Hana squeaked as she was forced down in the piece of leather furniture.

"Don't make me torture you," whispered Okami.

"You couldn't hurt me if you tried," sneered Hana.

"Who said I was going to hurt you?" Okami turned around his chair to be met with Hana's red face. Hana had quickly realized what Okami had meant. She grasped the book on her lap and chucked it at him. "You pervert!" she cried.

Okami saw the oncoming book and ducked, the book barely missing his head by an inch or two. It continued to soar through the air, straight at another victim. Kokatsuna sat on the other side of the room peacefully, unaware of the book that had been thrown. It collided with his head and everyone turned to see what had happened. Kokatsuna sat there very still and motionless. He then turned around glaring in Hana's direction.

"Hehehehe," said Hana as she slipped back into her chair, trying not to be noticed. Her green hair slipped into her face shading her reddened cheeks.

"Hana," called Kokatsuna from the other side of the room.

Hana made no notion to reply. She remained silent in the chair she was sitting in, pretending to be the angel she was.

"Hana," he called again.

Still no reply came from her.

Okami sat on the opposite side of her chuckling. Chihiro just shook her head, while Haku, Chirashi, Aria and Lin watched in silence. Kokatsuna got up from where he was sitting, the open book he was hit with in his right hand. His brown eyes drifted to Hana's chair and he walked over to her chair. Hana could feel his presence drift closer to her, causing her to sink further into the chair, like it would help. Suddenly a shadow was cast over Hana, and then her eyes slowly drifted up. In front of her stood Kokatsuna, a dark shadow hid his face, his features looking dark and sharp.

"Hana," he mumbled.

Hana sat there in silence, awkwardly afraid of Kokatsuna at the moment. She wasn't normally scared by him, but his voice just sent shivers down her back.

"Hana," he mumbled once more. He suddenly looked straight at her, a bright smile plastered across his face. "You found the spell we need!" he cried.

A heavy weight was suddenly lifted off the whole room, and sighs of relief escaped each of their mouths. Hana slumped deeper into her chair and rolled her eyes. She had really believed Kokatsuna was going to do something. She couldn't believe she even fell for the dope's trick. How blind was she?

"What do you mean Hana found the spell?" Haku walked over next to Kokatsuna.

"Here," he said. Kokatsuna held up the book for Haku. "When she threw it at me, it landed on my lap open to this page. Must've been fate or something like that."

"That's so cliche," mumbled Chirashi as she wandered over to Kokatuna as well. Soon everyone was standing around him look at the book he had in his hands.

Everyone's eyes widened as they saw the spell that was splayed out on the page. Kokatsuna had been right, it was the one they needed. Kokatsuna let out a yell of triumph, saying that their hours of torture had ended. Chirashi was about to whack him in the back of the head, but Chihiro spoke.

"There's a little catch to it," spoke Chihiro who now looked frustrated.

"What do you mean?" asked Haku. He looked up to meet Chihiro's eyes for a moment, then they drifted right back down to the book. Chihiro simply pointed at a certain spot on the page and Haku eyes drifted to the spot. He read over that piece of the spell and groaned. Nothing was ever easy with this type of thing was it?

"You have to be kidding me," he muttered.

"What?" said Okami ad Hana at the same time.

"The problem is..." Haku started.

"We need a High God to perform this. This spell originates from the High God of the wind, I think it is, Aria." Chihiro thought for a moment, then realized what she had just said. She had said thy needed a high God first of all, but also it was a woman, Aria. Did that mean it was her mother?

Everyone around Chihiro seemed to get the same idea when they saw her facial expression.

"There's still another problem," answered Chirashi who let out a yawn. "How in the world are we supposed to get in contact with a High God?"

* * *

**Hey! sorry for the long wait! I know this chapter is short too, but be on the lookout, which is very soon, like very soon, for another chapter. **

**I want to thank all of you that have reviewed, viewed the story, favorited, alerted and such...Thank you to...**

**Scarlet Ammo 19, Skoteri-Kodoma, evil-angel-sakura, .948, Jessica, and Breezy.**

**Thank you all so much and hope to see you soon! Continue to review please, want feedback :D**


	59. Chapter 59 A Lurking Voice

The woman with the sky blue hair led the two little children through the woods. Both of them clasped onto each of the woman's hands and looked up at her as she talked. Both of the little children found the woman's voice quite soothing, airy and sweet. She had this sort of motherly figure to her and her voice brought comfort to them. A light breeze blew past them, and it only seemed to concentrate around them. the woman's hair was carried in the light breeze and her dark blue eyes were concentrated on the path ahead of her.

"Do you miss your mom and dad?" she asked. Peter looked up at the woman and nodded.

"Yes, Miss. Aria. I want to see my mom again. They are also probably worried about my sister and I."

"But once we get back we can tell mommy and daddy we're okay. The nice lady is taking care of us of course." Livia smiled at Peter and Aria as she said this. Livia was drawn to Aria, she just felt safe around her the moment she laid eyes on her. A warmth and sense of comfort emanated off Aria, and that's what Livia was drawn to.

"I don't think mom and dad would even believe where we are," muttered Peter.

Aria reached down and ruffled Peter's hair.

"It's a hard concept to take in, I know. You are only eight years in humans years after all."

"I am almost nine," he argued back, his was tinted red at the same time.

"I was joking," smiled Aria. "Young one I know you are smart, I can see it in your eyes. You have a lively spirit, one that would cheer up others around you. It was surprising to see that you took in the news so easily. You truly believe you are in the Spirit World?"

"Grandma told us about it," interrupted Livia. "She would always tell us stories of powerful spirits and powerful Gods who ruled over the lands."

Aria seemed to understand and simply nodded. she continued to walk with both children hand in hand. They disappeared farther into the forest on the path they were traveling on. Aria tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and closed her eyes.

"I am counting on you," she whispered. "Fix the problem my love, I know you can. I believe in you."

A light breeze drifted past the group of three and traveled ahead of them, sweeping itself into the sky. Whispers were drafted up along with it as it disappeared into the heavens above, Aria's words traveling through the air with it. She let out a soft smile and opened her eyes knowing the message would reach its destination. She let out a breath and continued on the path she was traveling both physically and mentally.

* * *

Chirashi looked down at the book that was on the table in front of her. Her head was in her hands, pushing up the skin on her face, while her eyes concentrated deeply on the ancient scripted pages before her. The text was vernacular language but it was worded in a way that was hard to understand; however, Chirashi being the smart one in the room, knew exactly how to read it and comprehend it perfectly.

"We definitely need the power and knowledge of a High God for this, or someone who is extremely powerful. Although, I think the only one who can truly cast it is the one who is of pure wind origin, Aria." Chirashi turned the page then flipped back and rubbed her eyes. "Can't casting a spell be easier?"

"Still there remains the main problem. How are we supposed to get in contact with a High God?" asked Kokatsuna. "It's not like we can call to one and they'll magically appear. They rarely, and I mean rarely, come in contact with a spirit, let alone us."

"So how many problems do we have now?" asked Hana.

"Well," sighed Okami. "There's Kaze trying to take over both spirit and human world, humans wandering into the spirit world, not being able to cast this spell, and not being able to get in contact with a High God."

"That's more then I can even keep track of," groaned Kokatsuna.

"It's only four..." said Chirashi, and then she held up four fingers. "See. Four fingers."

"No it's not JUST four problems, these are things that are rather urgent that we solve right away," said Kokatsuna with a smirk.

"Wha-" said Chirashi. "You...You set me up for that." kokatsua snickered at Chirashi's comment and simply smirked.

"Of course I did, I'm a genius of course."

"Kokatsuna you wish you were a genius," added Hana. "You are like a bag full of bad jokes. Nothing good ever comes out from that opening on your face. And plues we also have to get Aria back home."

Aria simply smiled and looked at the book that Chirashi had in front of her.

"Whatever Mrs. Party Pooper and I promise we will get you home Aria as soon as possible." Kokatsuna rolled his eyes and positioned himself so he was beside Chirashi again. He ran his finger over the page of the ancient writing, trying to depict something that was bothering him, or rather the rest of the group as well. None of them knew how to contact a High God, or how to even begin to comprehend the difficulty of the task.

"Well to start off, do we know a spirit that would even be able to at least connect with a High God? They would have to be of great power." Okami stood there with a hand under his chin waiting for someone to respond.

"Well there is Zeniba." Chihiro trailed off and looked as if she were in deep thought.

"She is a great witch, one with a extreme amount of power, I have seen it, but I don't think she is at the spiritual capability to even contact a god. Sure she is a witch, but spiritual things doesn't seem to be her forte." Haku contemplated with the idea he had just introduced. Sure Zeniba was a great witch, but like he had said, she wasn't one for spiritual acts of sorts.

"I don't think any spirit would be able to contact a High God, I think they show themselves whent hey feel like it and when the time is right." Chihiro stated. She closed her eyes and breathed in. Suddenly a faint whisper was heard in her ear and her eyes shot open. Haku looked upon Chihiro and was rather confused.

"Something wrong?" he asked her as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"No...Nothing...I just thought I heard something."

_'Fix the problem my love.' _

Chihiro stood where she was, behind Chirashi, still and motionless for a moment. she knew she had definitely heard a voice in her ear, it had drifted in somehow and disappeared at that; however, it repeated itself quite a few times, fading with each time. she looked around to see if anyone was speaking, but no one was. Everyone's mouth was closed as they looked upon Chihiro wondering what in the world was going on with her. She looked towards the staircase to her right and felt the urge to suddenly walk up it. Haku watched her with a keen eye and sensed something was bothering her.

"Chihiro?" he asked. She didn't turn to face him but opened her mouth a tiny bit to speak.

"One second," she muttered. Chihiro pushed past Kokatsuna who was next to her and made her way to the staircase. Her fast strides turned in a running motion as she flung herself up the steps of the staircase. Haku watched her run up and decided to go after her. "You guys stay here," he said to the group. "I'll see what she's up to."

Haku then ran past the group and followed in the same footsteps as Chihiro. His emerald hair flowed past him and he swerved his body and darted up the stairs. A sudden increase in speed sent him flying up the stairs to where Chihiro had went. The dim lamps hanging from the walls of the staircase gave a eerie feeling to the area itself, but Haku paid no mind to it. His eyes were only concentrated on the approaching light in front of him. Finally he took the last step and was off the staircase, arriving at the top which was located in the living room. His eyes scanned the lavished room but found no sight of Chihiro. He tipped his head up and bit and inhaled an immense amount of air. Her scent was near, very near.

"Why did she go outside?" he whispered to himself. He turned and ran into the next room which was basically the hallway that led to the front door. The hallway was painted a indigo sort of color, and pictures lined the walls. They contained various spirits and what looked like paintings of different landscapes. They looked so vividly real, that you could reach your hand into the picture and get swept away into the landscape that was in front of you. The strokes upon the page were so precise and realistic.

Haku noticed the front door was open and a draft of air was swept into the hallway. A smell of pine filled his nostrils as he ran outside into the brightness of day. In front of him stood Chihiro, still and unmoving. The only movement that was visible was the slight twitch of her ears. It seemed that she was hearing some sort of noise, but he couldn't pinpoint what it could be.

"Chihiro?" he questioned, stopping a few feet behind her.

She stood there motionless still and he decided to call her name out once again.

"Chihiro?" Haku called out once more. Suddenly her hand shot up, signaling him to be quiet.

"Someone is calling to me," she whispered. "I hear them. They want me to come."

"Chihiro come back inside the house. It's probably someone trying to trick you into a trap of some sort. Let's go see what we can do to eventually solve these problems on our hands. Please, come back inside." Haku stepped forward and trid to grasp her hand, but she pulled away.

"I'm serious," she said without looking at him. "Someone is calling me, they want me to come."

"Then if they want you to come they should come themselves. Chihiro, you know better then anyone that things right now aren't exactly safe. Just come inside ignore the voice for now, you sure this isn't a memory that's coming back to you?"

"No," she said sharply as she turned to face him. She realized what she had done and hung her head. "I mean no. No, this isn't a memory that's coming back. It's a voice that appeared out of nowhere, it kind of came to me, I don't know how though."

Haku let out a sigh and pulled her close to him. He buried his head in her hair and wrapped his arms around her waist. Haku held Chihiro as close to him as possible then whispered into her ear.

"Just come inside, we'll figure out what the voice was later. Right now we have to get rid of this warping spell and stop the humans from coming through. Please Chihiro, come inside."

He felt her do a sharp intake of air and then relax a bit.

"Okay," she said in return and wrapped her arms around his waist returning the embrace he had given her.

"That's my girl," he whispered to her, and after a few moments Haku pulled away. He looked into Chihiro's eyes, looking at the Chestnut hue's that rested on her face. They were like a window of hope that anyone could rely on. He also looked at the beauty that was adorned upon her face, it was like her beauty was one that was never purged of evil. It was just naturally pure and bright, and that was one thing he love about her. He loved the pureness of her being and the warmth she emitted towards others.

Haku placed both of his hands on each side of Chihiro's face. He searched her face for another moment then brought his lips down upon hers. It wasn't a kiss that was urgent and passionate but sweet and gentle. They stood there in a loving embrace for a bit, sharing a gentle kiss that had not come up in a while. Their lips molded perfectly with one another and they noses just brushed against one another. They soon broke apart and looked at one another with a loss of words.

Haku lifted a hand and tucked a stray piece of hair behind Chihiro's ear and smiled at her. Chihiro gladly returned the smile and reached up and held his hand against her face. The bond between the two spirits had seemed to grow within this moment, strengthening as they continued to look at each other. Each of them didn't know what it was but they felt closer to each other. Time continued to pass by them and the wind began to pick up quite a bit, the seconds passing with no intention of stopping.

"I..." Chihiro stopped herself for a moment and looked into Haku's gentle green eyes.

_'What is she going to say?' _he thought.

"What Chihiro," he asked, but noticed her attention had slipped away from him. She simply raised her hand and pointed past him. He cocked his head to the side a bit, but then followed her finger. His eyes trailed the tip of her finger and then he turned around to see what Chihiro was pointing at. He suddenly understood her silence as he saw what was standing in front of him.

"It can't be," he whispered. "You see them right Chihiro?"

"Yes, Haku. They're actually there."

Both Haku and Chihiro stood there looking at two figures that were standing before them. A boy and girl, both looked like they were related to each other, in other words they were twins. They stood there hand in hand, alone, gazing at the two spirits before them. the girl seemed to coward away from them and hide behind her brother. The boy took a step forward and pulled the girl with him. He held his head high and spoke.

"We were told you could help us get home," he said with confidence. "A lady said you could help us."

* * *

**Hello my lovely readers! Here I am with another chapter :D I hope you enjoyed this and sorry if there was any spelling errors. I'm just too tired to read over the chapter at the moment, and I just want to get it out to you guys. Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter, and added this to their favorites and such.**

**Thank you:**

**natalia roman 948, Scarlet Ammo 19, Breezy, JaxJax and Meep99.**

**I thank you once more for your support and I hope you continue to review as well. I hope to see you all soon, maybe sometime next week because I'm busy this weekend. Hope you enjoy the next few days and see you soon :)**


	60. Chapter 60 A Child and Her Mother

His golden eyes continued to stare out upon the rolling hills and the land before him, everything from the lush green grass to the petite weak spirits in these surrounding lands, would be his in time. He could feel something pushing back on the Warping Spell he was managing. It was a spell in which you would cast it and would be done, this one would continue to drain the energy from you until you wished to stop it or cut of the link between you and the spell. The warping spell was one that was hard to break or destroy. The only on capable of lifting its curse would be a high god.

"So is it you?" he whispered to himself. "The almighty power from the heavens herself is it? You would show yourself now, what a pleasure it will be to meet you, I hope."

He waved a hand in front of his face and the curtains in front of him swayed closed. He was tired of glancing out on a world that was so pathetic. He wanted only those who were strong enough to survive, and those who were his enemies to perish. The one enemy he would draw in though would be Chihiro. No matter how blind she was now, he knew she would come to her senses. She would beg him to love her, Chihiro would be his love once more.

"How pathetic that emerald dragon is," he said with a chuckle. "He'll lose his loves heart once more, once more as I claim her as my own."

"Your will, will come true master." A voice lingered behind him; however, he didn't bother to turn around.

"Thank you Juv. Your loyalty shall remain mine for a while I expect?"

"You are correct, master. Your will is my own and the power I hold is no match for the Lost Ones. Even though I refuse to display it even though I am against violence, I will display it when the time is right. I once held a rightful place in the heavens and will gladly fight back for it."

"You are right Juv, Fallen God of Life and Death. The Five High Gods will regret exiling you from your rightful throne."

Juv stood these and a sickening smile could be seen through the wrappings that encompassed his face. He had a rather confusing personality and demeanor, but one thing was clear he wanted revenge, no matter what the cost. Even though harm and violence wasn't his thing, didn't mean he wouldn't have others do it for him. Plus, he believed Master Kaze could do it for him, and after all, he could. In the beginning they had stricked a deal with one another: if Juv helped Kaze obtain free will and reign over the combined worlds, Juv's position would be relinquished and Kaze would receive a portion of the power that kept the world in balance, the power of controlling life and death.

The story of Juv's downfall was one that was known by few, but it was a horrid story to tell. The hardships and pain that led to it, the loss of his loved one, the separation and guilt he still held within him; they were the things that were his back story, his past. His past was written in the silver linings of his eyes.

"I do not wish to hurt her," said Juv with a whisper.

"I know," said Kaze. "I know, but remember the deal we stricked, you own me and I owe you. If you back out of it you will be damned for the rest of your life. In the end though, we both want the best for your daughter don't _we_? You wish her no harm and I wish the return of my lover."

A sigh of frustration escaped Juv's lips.

"I know what we agreed on." At that moment Juv looked up at Kaze. "But if she is killed once more, I will break our deal. After all I am the God of Life and Death, do not challenge me."

"You were a God," Kaze corrected. "Do not challenge me with the authority you no longer have. I will do what I please, and say what I want. You are now under my control whether you like it or not, Juv. Be gone now, I have things to take care of."

With that Kaze glided past Juv and left him standing in the room alone. Juv stood there with a whirlwind of frustrations that now had started to arise once more.

"My daughter..." he mumbled to himself. "Rapisu, I am sorry, but you have placed yourself as my enemy if you wish to stand against me, as well as your mother."

A few moments later and a flip of his staff, a purple aura surrounded him. His eyes slowly drifted shut and his body dissolved into the air, but before he completely disappeared a few words escaped his mouth. The words however, never made it to any audible ear as he was soon just silver particles hanging in the air.

* * *

"Who told you we could help you?" asked Chihiro.

"A lady, a lady with long sky blue hair," said the boy.

"She was nice, very nice." The girl squeaked from behind her brother. She barely peeked out from behind his arm, but Haku and Chihiro could see most of her face. Chihiro walked forward and kneeled in front of the two children and smiled.

"Do you know the woman's name?"

The boy's face suddenly turned emotionless as he looked back at his sister. They both looked at each other, like they were exchanging words Chihiro and Haku could not hear. Both children contemplated on whether they should tell the two spirits in front of them the information they knew. Even though they were eight, they weren't dumb. They also remembered what the woman had said, but they seemed like people they could trust.

"Her name," said the boy.

"Her name," said the girl.

"Was," they both said simultaneously. "Was..."

Both children couldn't seem to get out the name they were hoping to pronounce. They looked at each other in confusion, and tried once more to say the name they were hoping to say, but no prevail, nothing came out.

"What's wrong with them?" Haku asked.

'I don't know," Chihiro replied. She was equally confused at the sight of the children. As she discerned them, it seemed something was preventing them from saying the name she was hoping to hear. A light breeze drifted in from the forest and a whisper caught Chihiro's ear once again like before.

_'I am here, my love. Know me and I will appear.'_

"Someone's here," said Chihiro. "Someone is here, I know it."

Haku looked at her like before. He didn't think she would bring the topic up once more.

"Chihiro, we discussed this before. There is no voice, trust me. It might be someone tricking you into believing someone is here with us."

The children had given up on saying the name, but noticed the increasing wind that was blowing towards all of them. They looked to the forest and suddenly smiles appeared on their faces.

"She's here," they both cried. The children started to run forward but Haku appeared in front of both of them and stopped them. He put up a hand and told them it might not be safe; however Chihiro walked past all three of them and continued to look at the commodious forest in front of her. Haku started to call to her but Chihiro didn't seem to notice it as she drifted towards the whispers that the wind carried.

"You're here aren't you?" She called out. Chiihro reached forward, hoping to grasp something; however, nothing was there, at least at that moment. "I know you're here. Mom?"

A gigantic gust of wind suddenly swept out from the forest, almost knocking Chihiro back. She kept her footing strong and shielded her eyes from the soot and dirt that was flying up from the ground. Haku pulled the children close to him and shielded them from the wind as well. He tried to look through the strong gust, but the wind just made his eyes water.

"Chihiro!" he called out. "Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine," she replied. "She's here though!"

"Who's here?" he yelled.

"She's here...My mom."

Haku's body suddenly stiffened at the words that just had come out of Chihiro's mouth. The wind and ringing in his eyes were the only thing he heard at the moment. He couldn't believe what he had just heard her say. That wasn't possible either way. Chihiro's mother couldn't be here, she just couldn't because it was physically possible.

Another minute passed and the wind suddenly ceased. The children stopped clinging to Haku and opened their eyes. All three of them stared at the sight before them, Haku couldn't believe what he saw. A tall, graceful looking woman stood before Chihiro. Sky blue hair ran down her back, deep blue eyes looked into Chihiro's chestnut ones, but ordinary clothing covered her body.

"My child," said the woman. "I'm here."

Chihiro stood there with wide eyes as she gazed up at the tall woman. she easily towered over her and Chihiro had to look up at her to meet the deep blue eyes.

"Mom," she said softly. "Are you really my mom?"

The woman continued to smile softly and she placed a hand behind Chihiro's neck and drew to her to herself. She lowered her head to Chihiro's ear and whispered.

"It is me, child. I am here, I am your mother."

Chihiro's hands slowly snaked around the woman in front of her and salty droplets slid down her face. Her body started to shake and her face was buried in the woman's chest.

"It's really you, I knew it. My mom...my mom is really a High God, right? Your a High God."

"That," she said softly. "Is correct. I am the Goddess of Air, Aria. you, child, are the daughter I gave to this world so many years ago. the daughter I am so proud of. The one that protected many lives and gave her own for the sake of this world. The daughter I lost, but am now holding in my arms once more. The daughter that's my own."

Chihiro's tears continued to stream down her face as a cries started to escape her lips. She couldn't believe what was happening, and the overwhelming happiness that was blossoming in her chest. The day she was waiting for had finally come, the day she had dreamt of was finally here.

* * *

**And that concludes chapter 60...Wow 60 chapters already. It seriously seems like yesterday that I started writing this fanfiction. The journey I have been on with this story...**

**Well some of you may have noticed I have changed the title of this story to Book 1: Winds of the Lost. I changed it because well...there's going to be two more stories after this. I felt it was right to make three books to this, and this book may be coming to an end by this story's anniversary, which is in March. The next will be called Book 2: Winds of the Forsaken. **

**I thank all of you, like I do every chapter, for your support. I can't thank you enough and this story has finally reached 201 reviews :D Thank you all who reviewed :D I know the amount of reviews may not be the same as some other stories on here, like Velf's and such, but mine can't compare to those. I'm just hoping to have continued support and write so people can enjoy the story.**

**Thank you the following who reviewed:**

**Breezy, EasternWindDragon, Cloud99999, ludin (nice to see you back :D), Scarlet Ammo 16, and evil-angel-sakura**

**I hope you all continue to review and see you next chapter :D**


	61. Chapter 61 Bigger Than You Think

Both Chihiro and the woman stared at each other for some time, feelings floating around in the pools of their eyes. Emotions wavered in their bodies and ardent feelings could be felt between the two, they were overjoyed to see one another; however, for the longest time they could find the words they wanted to say. Sure it was a mother and child reuniting, both could receive solace in one another's arm, but the surprise of them meeting was something neither of them expected.

Despite that, Haku and the two children sat silently a few feet away watching the two spirits before them. The children stared in amazement at both Chihiro and Aria. They would've never guessed anything like this would've happened. Just the sight and feeling of the exhilarating wind that was released a mere few minutes ago excited them. The power and temerity shown through Aria was extraordinary, and the funny thing was, she hadn't been trying. Besides that Haku had tons of thoughts coursing through his mind, he couldn't grasp the idea that there was a High God standing right in front of him. Sure they were created by the High Gods, formed from the elements themselves to protect the Spirit World and the Human World as well, but to see a spirit born from two spirits themselves was something else entirely.

Haku continued to glance upon Chihiro and her mother, and it was even amazing to think about it. Chihiro being the offspring of two High Gods he was guessing, no wonder she had so much power within her. For heaven's sake she had pretty much every element and power coursing through that body, but he knew she wasn't one to overuse that power anything besides protecting what needed to be protected. Also, on the downside, she wasn't fully capable of using all of her powers of well because her memories were still hazy.

Haku could sense the feeling floating between the two, they emotions being transferred from one another. Haku could see the happiness welling in Chihiro's eyes. A smile crossed his face at the sight of seeing her so happy, he was glad she had found some happiness so far in the month she had been here. Now that he thought about it, she had only been here for a mere month, or a little longer perhaps. Te two of them had grown so close to one another in the past few weeks that it had amazed him greatly. He couldn't seem to be away from Chihiro for more then a few minutes without getting worried. He knew this was love, he wouldn't deny it, but it was to the point that he wanted to be with her every minute and second of the day.

The overwhelming thoughts of his feelings and their relationship flooded his mind, but he knew this wasn't the time to be thinking about this. He didn't want to rush anything, sure they had some intense passionate moments, but it wasn't to the point of taking it_ that _far; however, the thought of taking it a step further crossed Haku's mind, but he simply pushed it away. Now wasn't the time to truly be thinking about advancing their relationship, it was important, but the occurring scene in front of Haku was a bit more of a big deal.

As Haku pushed those thoughts away, Chihiro continued to stare into her mother's eyes. She tried to speak, but no words came to her lips. All she could utter was one word over and over.

"Mom...Mo-Mo-Mom." Her eyes start to cloud up again and tears made their way down her face, the salty droplets making their way down her tanned skin. Aria brought her hand up under Chihiro's chin and lifted her head up. both their eyes met once more and Aria opened her mouth to speak.

"Child, there's no need to cry. Please, don't cry." She said with a soft smile splayed on her face. "Yes, I am your mother and I am here. I know you had a mother and father back in the Human World, but I was the one who truly let you come into this world. I want to let you know this world is your true home, but the Human World is also your home, and I congratulate your parents on taking care of you. They truly raised a beautiful girl. You still look like her, your true form when you were first brought into this world, but you now have your own unique physique."

"My other form?" she stuttered.

"You know silly, when you were called Rapisu."

"Oh," she said with a hiccup. "I still look like her? You don't c-c-care I look diff-different?" Chihiro asked.

"Child," Aria said with a soft voice. "I will love you with any form you have, you are still my child inside. You are still the strong beautiful child I let into this world. I knew you would do a great job, you even told me so before you left. You remember don't you?"

Chihiro stood there confused for a moment, but then remembered a memory she had first gotten when the Winds of Memories brought back her memories a few weeks back. It suddenly came back to her, not forcefully, but a calm memory, one that brought a warmth to her ads she slowly closed her eyes for a moment and let it play peacefully.

* * *

_"Protect the innocent and repair the evil. You are given this gift and power for a reason, young one. The road ahead of you will be great and tough, but we trust these heavenly powers to you. Each is special and your journey will be unclear, but others will guide you. Protect the world you are going into. We know you can do it." said a being who lightly rubbed the little girl's head._

_There were five other beings sitting around besides the one in front of this one. The little girl let her eyes glance back and forth between the heavenly beings. She then looked back to the towering woman in front of her. She them put on a big smile and gave the god a nod._

_"I'll protect everyone," she said. "You can trust me. I won't let you down mommy." The girl continued to stare into the god's eyes, and the woman stared into the child's. For a second her eyes flickered and looked like they were going to shed tears, but the great god embraced the child._

_"Rapisu, please stay safe. Don't injure yourself." the god whispered into the child's ear. "I love you little one."_

_"I love you too mommy." the child replied back and at that the world started to fade around her._

* * *

As the memory ended, a few tears slipped out of Chihiro's eyes. She finally found a meaning for one of her memories, this was one she was always going to cherish. Aria could see that her child had remember and a soft smile crossed her face once more. Aria rubbed Chihiro's head, but then lifted her head and looked across the grass at Haku.

"It is nice to see you again, Nigihayami Kohaku Nushi."

Haku blinked a few times and seemed surprised that the High God knew his name. He quickly let go of the children and let them settle on the ground. He then got up and bowed towards the High God before him.

"It is an honor to be in your presence," he stated. He looked down towards the ground, his few of the Goddess Aria fading, but instead of hearing a command for him to rise, Haku heard a chuckle escape into the air.

"There is no need to bow, young dragon. You are one that has taken care of my daughter and has been by her side. You are held in high respects by me. You will never bow to me again, understand?"

Haku stumbled on the words he was going to say, but decided with a simple nod. Chihiro stood behind her mother and giggled at Haku's reaction. she had never seen the dragon so flustered before. His reaction was priceless. Chihiro knew she was going to tease him about it later.

"I don't mean to be rude and all, Goddess Aria, but why have you come exactly?" Haku stood before the High God fiddling with his hands behind his back. Aria looked at Haku and sighed.

"We High God's know everything that is going on in this world, it's our job. We have known of this disturbance for quiet a while now, Kaze causing trouble and rupturing the human and spirit barrier, but another problem is arising under this one. This one is greater then humans simply wandering into this world."

"What problem is that?" Chihiro asked curiously from behind her mother. Aria looked at Chihiro then Haku, and a thought seemed to cross her mind.

"Your main focus right now should be to stop the humans from coming through, but that's also another reason why I am here. I am the only one who can complete the counter spell to go with the Warping Spell. The other problem still has to do with Kaze, but there is another aiding him. I think both of you have met that mysterious man with the cloak, staff, and wrappings surrounding his body?"

"Yes," both Chihiro and Haku replied nervously.

"Well he is aiding Kaze," replied the Goddess Aria.

"We know that though," said Chihiro. "He tried to come and take the human girl we have in the house behind us, then attacked me."

"He attacked you?" asked Aria, who was a bit stunned.

"Yes," said Chihiro with a stutter. "I know it's a bad thing, but is there something wrong?"

"I'm just surprised Juv would do something like that," she said with a whisper.

"But he's a villan isn't he?" asked Haku.

"Of course, but he isn't one to really side with violence."

"It seems like you know him very well," questioned Chihiro.

"I do, and you should remember as well. He's your father Chihiro. Your father was a High God as well, the High God of Life and Death to be exact except he has fallen from his true grace and now lurks these lands with a damned soul. He has sided with Kaze and there is a bigger thing going on then simply collecting free will from the humans. Kaze wishes to kill the humans, every one of them that enters this world, or use them as slaves to do his biding. He will then combine the worlds and rage a war on those who appose him. Both of you, that's the reason I am here. There is a bigger problem going on then the one you are aware of, it is more complicated then you think."

Haku stood there with a gaping mouth. rarely things surprised or stunned him at the very least, but this hit him hard. A fallen High God? That was impossible, or it seemed like it. A fallen high god was assisting Kaze, Haku couldn't grasp the idea. On the other hand, Chihiro stood there behind her mother only concentrating on the one part she had talked about. She finally found out who both her parents were, they were both High Gods; however, now one of them was siding with a crazed lunatic and a bigger problem was arising then before.

"Mom," she said with a whisper. "Is that all true?"

"It is, dear one. I have no reason to lie, do I not?"

"But...But how is Juv a fallen High god? What could he have possibly done that would have him basically kicked out of heaven, so to say?" Chihiro asked. She would not dare call him her father if he was doing this type of thing.

"That is something that will not be discussed at this moment. It was an incident that most of us would like to forget. The thing he did was not one any of us were proud of, it broke my heart just to see it."

As Haku was about to reply a scream was let behind all of them. They quickly turned to see Okami, Hana, Chirashi, little Aria and Kokatsuna standing there with wide eyes. Hana stood in front of all of them with a hand over her mouth, she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"It-It-It's a High God!" she cried.

Haku, Chihiro and Aria looked at the whole group was was extremely surprised. Chihiro looked stunned, Aria kept her same expression and Haku shaded his eyes from the others; however, Aria didn't remain silent for long.

"Young ones, I would like to introduce myself properly. I am the Goddess Aria, High God of Air."

* * *

***waves to everyone on the other side of the computer screen* Hi everyone! It's nice to see you all again. I am seriously overjoyed at the amount of reviews I got between this update and last update. I got an amount of 11 reviews overall. It makes me so happy to know I have awesome readers out there who continue to support me. I hope all of you enjoyed this chapter, as I did writing it. Keep a look out for the next chapter today, I might have enough time to type the next one up, but I'm not sure.**

**Thank you:**

**EasternWindDragon: Thanks once again and hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

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**Thank you all once again and hope you all continue to review. If you simply want to talk to me drop me a PM and we can chat. Hope all of you enjoyed this chapter and will see you soon! AWESOME NINJA LEAVING :D**


	62. Chapter 62 Found Hope

That moment in time couldn't have been anymore amazing yet confusing at the same time. Four members of the were standing at the entrance of Okami's house ogling at the sky haired woman a mere ten feet away. The sight before them couldn't have been any more surprising. Hana stood there with a hand covering her mouth, on the verge of fainting due to the fact that a High God was standing before her and all of them. Okami stood beside Hana, holding her up, but mouth hanging open wide. Kokatsuna and Chirashi stood beside them wide eyed. they stood there trying so hard to process the image in front of them, but it didn't seem real.

"You-You-Your a High God," Hana stammered.

"I am," said Aria with a calm demeanor.

"But your a High God," she said once again.

"Yes, I am."

"But. Your. A. High. God." Aria stood there looking at Hana and was slightly confused. She looked down at herself, fluffled her clothes and tugged at them a bit.

"Yes, I am a High God. One of the bearers of the true elements. Are you okay, young one?"

"YOU. ARE. A. HI-"

Suddenly Hana had a hand placed over her mouth, silencing her immediately. She looked out of the corner of her eye to see Okami glaring at her like she was an idiot. He leaned forward and whispered in her ear.

"We all get the point there's a High God in front of us," he hissed. "There's no need to freaking repeat it over and over again you crazed woman."

Hana grasped Okami's hand and yanked it away from her mouth. She pushed it back towards him, at his chest to be exact, and continued to look upon Aria as if she were some rare jewel that had never been found before. Aria looked at Hana and began to wonder if this was a member of the Lost Ones, but dismissed it at the moment and looked upon the others.

"Chirashi, Kokatsuna, you are both looking good. You both have grown quite a bit, from the little children you were to lovely teenagers blossoming into adulthood. It's nice to see you doing well and continue to work hard. Okami, you are as striking as ever. Your powers seem to be in tip top shape and your work nonetheless. Hana, you have grown up to be a beautiful woman, but umm...Are you sure you are okay child?"

"She's fine," said Okami pipping up out of nowhere. "She's just stunned, like the rest of us, to see a High God before us. It was kind of the last thing we were expecting when we ran up the stairs and out here in the sweet air of this afternoon."

"I understand my appearance is sudden, but there is a bigger problem at hand."

"What do you mean?" All four of them asked at once.

"It's not what we thought," said Haku, who was now standing next to Chihiro and Aria. "Kaze is siding with some we never thought would even be around here."

"Who is it?" asked Chirashi, who had a slight hint of nervousness in her voice. Chihiro looked at Chirashi for a moment and decided she would be the one to respond.

"It's my father," Chihiro said simply. No tears or anything came with this reply. It was as if she didn't care this person was her father, it seemed that all she wanted to do was rid of him and the trouble he was causing.

"What?!" Chirashi, Kokatsuna, Hana and Okami screamed at once. Now they were all definitely wired up. Haku saw this and slapped his forehead. He then leaned towards Chihiro and whispered in here ear.

"It would've been better if you didn't blatantly say it like that," he muttered. Chihiro looked towards the others and saw the trouble she had just caused.

"Uh, yeah sorry about that."

"It's fine. Now we just have four freaked out spirits in front of us. Even worse, they are probably the four most concerned spirits on the planet, meaning they will freak out over anything like what you just said. They're pretty much the biggest idiots ever."

Chihiro looked back at the remaining group standing at the doorstep. Their faces and expressions wanted to make her pretend to not even know them. Chihiro dipped her head, her hair shading her eyes and such.

"Yeah they are idiots, but our idiots."

* * *

"Are you okay, Zeniba?" Mizutohi stood beside Zeniba, who was sitting at the table stringing some cloths together. Mizutohi looked upon the old witch with curious eyes. The witch seemed to be spacing out momentarily and not paying attention to anything she was saying. The witch then flicked her finger and a rll of yarn from the other side of the room danced over to her.

'I'm fine," she solemnly replied.

"You seem out of it," stated Mizutohi. She leaned over to see the witch's face. Her expression was emotionless.

"I am fine young one," she said with the wave of a hand. Zeniba went back to stringing the yarn she had in her hand, and meanwhile on the other side of the room No Face boiled a pot of water on the stove.

"I don't mean to be a bother, but you clearly aren't fine. You expression says otherwise."

Zeniba place the yarn on the table and sighed.

"Child, you do not feel the energy pulsating through the lands at the moment? Or is it just me? You should return to the others as soon as you can."

"I told you, Zeniba, I will remain here. They ha-"

"Child it is important for you to go," said Zeniba with a stern voice. "There is a powerful power standing on these lands at the moment. It is a strength I have never sensed, one that should even be lurking within these lands."

"What do you mean?" asked Mizutohi who was very curious.

"A extreme power wavers in these lands, one that seems to be one of a High God."

Mizutohi looked at Zeniba for a moment trying to process the thought, but then cracked a smile. She wasn't one to act like this in a stern conversation, but the information she was just told was too far fetched. Mizutohi raised a hand and ran it through her, a smirk plastering her face at that moment as well.

"A High God? Seriously? Zeniba I know you like to joke sometimes, but that's just plain crazy."

Zeniba sat there with stern eyes and just looked at Mizutohi.

"You are kidding right?"

Mizutohi waited a few moments and just received a response of utter silence. She then knew that Zeniba wasn't kidding, she should've trusted the witch's sense on the spot.

"Why would I kid around at a time like this, Mizutohi?" Zeniba sat there facing Mizutohi completely with her arms folded over her robust chest.

"I thought-"

"Trust me, young one, this is something that all of you need to be there for. I seriously advise, wait no, I'm telling you to go to the others. Something is about to arise and you are needed there immediately. Go to them and don't spend another second here."

"But what about you?" Asked the water and fire spirit.

"I am centuries older then you, do not worry about me. I can fend for myself, now go."

Mizutohi could hear the seriousness in the witch's voice and responded with a simple nod, there was no need to argue anymore. Mizutohi gave a quick bow to Zeniba and told her she would be back when she could. As Mizutohi stepped towards the door and pulled it open, letting a rush of sweet air into the cottage into the room, a thought crossed her mind.

_'What am I about to engage myself in?'_

* * *

"So child you have the same name as me?" asked the Goddess as she sat across from the little girl who shared her name. The teenager swept her blond hair behind her ear and barely looked up at the goddess and gave an inaudible response.

"What did you say young one?"

The little girl spoke a bit louder, but she couldn't be heard very easily.

"Child, I mean you no harm. Please speak up."

"I do share the same name as you, ma'am. My name is Aria, like yours."

"It's nice to see that humans still believe in us enough to name their children after us. I can tell you young one many good things will come to you. Just work hard for what you believe in and always trust the ones around you."

As the Goddess and the human teenager exchanged word with each other, Chihiro, Haku and and Okami sat with each other. Also located on an opposite side of the room, Hana, Kokatsuna and Chirashi sat with the two younger human children, Livia and Peter. Everyone seemed to be engaged with one thing or another. Chihiro could see this exactly, but she really thought they should be doing something more productive in other words. She had talked to her mother a bit when everything had finally settled down. They had just had a casual conversation, but it was hard for Chihiro to keep quiet since she had so many questions; however, she had kept most of her questions in the dark and discussed the spell that her mother needed to cast.

Her mother explained that the spell was easy enough to cast, it just took a bit of preparation, except that if she were to do this, there would be no passage from this world to the next, except through the gates. That was a good thing indeed, except there were humans still trapped in the Spirit World, probably more then Chihiro could count. So if the spell were cast, and the humans remained here, there would be no way for them to return and they would soon wither a lot faster in here then the human world.

This now presented the group with another task, which was to round up all the humans within the spirit world and bring them to one place. They would then have to be transported back to the Human World. The problem with that was that they would just end up right in front of the entrance with confusion about where to go. Some were little children who didn't know their way home, but Chihiro had done some research on different spells. She knew there was a spell to make the humans forget about the spirit world in the first place, but there was also another that could reverse everything back to the way it was. It was a spell that would return most, or all of them, to normalcy.

These were most of the thoughts that were running through Chihiro's head, while she was supposed to be engaged in the conversation that was going on right in front of her. Haku and Okami were conversing with one another about the new information they had learned about a few hours before. Nighttime was creeping upon them and they were trying to figure out as much as possible before they went to bed.

"But how are we going to get all the humans gathered up?" asked Okami. "There are seven of us, and probably dozens of humans wandering into the spirit world every minute. To round them all up would take forever, plus there's also the factor the Kaze has a bunch of them locked up and such."

"Well we would have to plan a way to get into Kaze's domain and break all of th-" Haku looked over at Chihiro in mid speech and saw see was not even paying attention. "Hey Chihiro, you okay?"

It took Chihiro a second to snap out of her thoughts, but she looked up towards Haku. She looked confused but then gave a slight nod in response to his question.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just thinking about some things."

"Want to tell us?" asked Okami.

"It's nothing really, it's basically what you guys were discussing before. I'm just wondering about the whole lot of tasks we now have to complete before Kaze achieves his top motive."

"She does have a point there," stated Okami to Haku. Haku gave a nod in response and suddenly his min went into deep thought. It could clearly be seen on his face at that moment. He then looked up at Okami a few seconds later and spoke.

"Our top priority at the moment is to get those humans back from Kaze, and investigate a bit more on what his main purpose is behind all of this. We know his basic objective and a bit more, but now his plans have seems to have shifted and grow bigger."

"I think our next move is clear," said Chihiro. "We need to rescue the humans that Kaze has captured."

"I agree, but we kind of have a High God in our presence. We can't just be like 'Uh hey we're leaving now, see ya'." said Okami to Chihiro.

"I know, but I think my mom would understand, she's the one that suggested we take care of this problem as soon as possible."

"But just how long can she remain here? I doubt she can be down here a long time, the almighty beings in the sky might need her again." said Okami with a smirk.

"The almighty beings in the sky? Really?" Haku just looked at Okami with a blank expression.

"That's probably the stupidest thing I have ever heard," mumbled Chihiro.

"Hey! Don't gang up on my now," shouted Okami.

Haku and Chihiro just looked at each other and laughed.

"That's what we do best," they both said simultaneously.

* * *

**Hello my avid readers! Well this is the end of this chapter, sorry if you thought it was short at all. I'm beginning to type chapters more in advance now, so sorry for those of you that want me to add stuff, most of the next chapters are already set in stone :P **

**Thank you to those who reviewed:**

**EasternWindDragon: She deserves to get some spotlight doesn't she? In upcoming chapters we'll see more and more how well she handle her powers. Oh what a fun thing that will be. Thanks for the review!**

**NaRuTo99SWaG: I was going to do make Chihiro do that, but I thought a moment of silence from her would fit. I mean if I received news liek that, I would be too dumbfounded to even speak. I definitely know what you are pinpointing at with her being called Rapisu at times and all, but I have a reason for it. I have it all planned out don't worry, and plus if I made her Rapisu there would really be no more Chihiro wouldn't there. :P Thanks for the review :D**

**Breezy: So glad your happy about the upcoming books :) Thanks for the review**

**Silver Ninja: I am really glad you enjoyed the chapter and hope this one satisfied your interests :) Thanks for the review :)**

**ludin: Love your reaction and trust me, Juv's story will come up soon, but to give you a heads up, it will be in the second book. Trust me things liek that will be answered. Book 2 will be more of revealing past history and such. Understandable with the studies, but good luck :) Hope this chapter was good enough and thanks for the review :)**

**Cloud99999: Thanks for the review :) Hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

**Well that's all for now guys. Next chapter will be posted in a weeks time, I promise. Well going on vacation in a few hours, so off to type some more chapters while pulling an all nighter. See you guys soon! Review :D**


	63. Chapter 63 Stepping Into Trouble

**I do not own Spirited Away. **

* * *

"We'll discuss this all tomorrow," said Okami as he stood in front of everyone. "I think everyone can agree with me that we're all tired and to our amazement, we have a High God in our presence. We are sorry Goddess Aria for welcoming you so poorly, but like you advised, we shall set out and start to clear all this mess up before me move onto the bigger problem, or the overall picture perhaps."

The Goddess stood beside Okami and let out a little chuckle.

"There is no need to apologize. You are already busy as it is, and I came here unexpected at my own terms. I will adivse you though, I will aid you a bit in what you have to accomplish, but I don't want my being, being known throughout all these lands. That would just reek havoc and such, plus, if it ever occurs, a clash between two High Gods would just bring destruction. That is the last thing that I want to happen at a time like this."

All the spirits in the the commodious room listened intently, then they gave a nod in reply. Everyone in the room understood exactly what the Goddess was saying. More destruction at this time was not necessay, and at the very least they wanted to avoid as much destruction as possible. They were all so tired, and wanted to perpetuate the time they craved while they slept, so staying up any longer would prevent that. The sleepiness could be seen in their expressions as some of their eyes drifted closed, while others let out exasperated yawns.

Chihiro's head rested upon Haku's shoulder and his arms was wrapped around her petite body. Some of his shoulder length emerald hair fell ontop of her head while the rest fell atop his shoulders. He could feel the intake and release of her breathing and Haku could feel the warmth radiating of her body. Subconsciously he pulled her closer to him and she nestled her head deeper into the crevice of his shoulder; however, their little comfort from one another was short lived. Haku looked up to see everyone rising from where they were and departing to their rooms. Haku nudged Chihiro's head and she slowly lifted her head to meet his emerald eyes. He looked into her chestnut ones for a moment, then softly smiled.

"It's time to go to bed, sleepy head."

Chihiro just replied with a slight groan and stretched her libs before getting up. In response to this, Haku simply chuckled and commented on Chihiro's childish demeanor. She glanced at Haku and rolled her eyes at him, how childish he was at times, she thought. Chihiro pushed herself off the floor with a good amount of force and was soon on her feet. Her body wavered a bit as she stood there, and would gladly acquiesce sleep at the moment, but there was also the part of her also walking upstairs to her room. One of Chihiro's hands rubbed her eyes as she glanced around the room and yawned, letting out a wave of tiredness to be heard by everyone. Haku watched her standing there and proceeded to do the same. Soon he was standing next to her, but obviously towering over his petite girl.

"What are you staring at?" said Chihiro with a yawn. Haku evidently noticed she had asked that without even looking at him.

"How do you know I was staring at you," he commented.

"I can feel your big green eyes digging into my back like daggers, or like a hawk trying to catch its pray." Chihiro raised her arms and stretched them over her head, beofre turning to look at Haku.

"I was not watching you like a _hawk. _I was just watching how childlike you look while yawning and sleeping."

"I do not look like a child," she pouted.

"By childlike, I meant your innocence. You looked very innocent and pure."

"And you can tell that from looking at me?" Chihiro asked as continued to stretch, the question hinting some sarcasticness in it.

"I was just trying to give you a compliment," he replied, a little annoyed.

"I'm kidding, dragon," stated Chihiro as she poked his chest with her index finger. "Have some fun once in a while and stop being so serious. Loosen up and take a good look at the world around you."

Haku viewed the girl in front of him, she seemed rather tired, her chestnut eyes beginning to drift closed. A smirk crossed his face at the remark Chihiro had just made. The girl surprised him sometimes, he had to admit it. When Haku glanced at her not, he realized she wasn't that short. Her head probably reaching his chin or so, and he was six foot or so. Chihiro had grown to be pretty tall, Haku just hadn't noticed it.

Haku also hadn't noticed how dark her eyes had gotten, but still managed to maintain that chesnut color, and Chihiro's hair had grown well down her back. Her body had changed as well, and he wasn't a pervert at all, but Chihiro's curves had started to get more defined and her chest had become a bit more evident. She had truly matured from the child he saw five years ago. Now that she was a spirit though, she wouldn't be growing as quick, if that. He was beginning to see that she was a handful and could easily pull tricks on him, like the one she just did. But of course Haku being Haku, he decided to play along.

"This isn't the time to be playing jokes," said Haku sternly. "We need to get to bed and start planning out what we need to do."

"Stop being so grave and solemn, Haku. Just give me a little smile at least an a smirk just won't do. For the past few days there seems to be something that has been bugging you, but I just don't know what."

Haku heard what Chihiro had said and now realized the concern and anxiety beginning to surface in her voice. He wanted to just tease her a bit, not start her up and get her to worry about him. Haku ran a hand through his silky hair and drew his lips back.

"No, I'm fine. Chihiro-"

"Are you sure, Haku?"

"Chihiro, trust m-"

"Please don't lie to me. Are you seriously sure there is nothing wrong?"

"Seriously Chihiro I'm fi-"

"But you seem so unsettled. You seem distant at the same time. And-"

"CHIHIRO!" Haku cried at that moment. His abrupt response sent Chihiro staggering back. No one else was in the room now, but if they were, they would've all looked at him as if he were crazy. Chihiro looked upon him with wide eyes, as if she were scared for her life. She could'nt believe the intensity of Haku's voice. Haku examined her expression and suddenly felt extremely bad. By no means was he mad, he just wanted to make her stop worrying. That was one of her common traits, but her worrying about something, would take over her mind and then Chihiro would never think about anything else.

"Chihiro," he stated once again, but more calmly. "I'm fine, I promise. Please just stop worrying, I was kidding around." He took a step forward and reached a hand towards her, however Chihiro quickly backed up a few steps and distanced herself away from him.

"That doesn't give you the right to scream like that," she said quietly. "I was just-"

"You were just worried, I know. Please come here, I'm sorry." Haku attempted to reach for her once more, except she continued to distance herself from him. Haku groaned mentally in frustration as he tried to coax Chihiro to come to him; however, he saw he had frightened her.

"Chihiro," he said with a whisper. "Come here."

"No," she responsed sharply. "I'm...I'm going to bed." Chihiro quickly tucked on her shirt and darted towards the doorway across the room. "Goodnight," was the only response Chihiro gave as a blast of chestnut disappeared through the door.

Haku stood in the center of the room and winced at the response that he ha got from Chihiro. He had not meant for that to happen, and that was the last thing he was hoping for at the late part of the night. He seriously should've had raised his voice, he knew that, but it just came out. It wasn't a scream as in to shut her up, but one that was sent with a hidden message. Haku just wished she would stp worrying about him, she shouldn't be the one worrying, he should be the one worrying about her.

"What did I just do?" Haku asked himself dumbly. "I'm such an idiot."

Haku knew that it wouldn't do any good to chase after Chihiro now. He knew she needed some space and that's exactly what he would give her. She would probably be asleep soon like everyone else, and he should have followed in their footsteps. As an oncoming yawn made its way to his mouth, Haku started to head upstairs. As he drifted up the stairs of Okami's shack, a thought crossed his mind.

_'Maybe Chihiro was right...Maybe there is something bothering me...It's...It's my thought of our relationship isn't it?That's what's bugging me.'_

* * *

The next morning came as quickly as the night had gone. Everyone languidly arose from their beds, others rising earlier then others, like just as the sun was peeking over the horizon. One of those figures was the Goddess Aria. Various thoughts had been plaguing her mind since the previous night. There were some good and bad ones mixed in there, however, some of her thoughts were gnarled in ways that she couldn't even thing about them. One thing that agitated her was the thought of her husband, Juv.

It was bad enough that he had gotten exiled from his throne within the Circle of the Six High Gods. Now when she had found out from Homusubi, the god of fire, or all things having to do with fire and heat, that Juv had sided with Kaze, that had brought bot fear and anger to her. How dare her husband betray her in the first place, but then go side with an exiled Lost One? That was just unacceptable. And knowing Juv, he would find some way, with the help of Kaze, to unlock his powers once more.

With Juv's powers unlocked he could easily wipe out the whole Spirit World with one snap if he desired, after all he was the God of Life and death, the highest God among all of them at one time. The reason she had come down from her throne was to aid the young ones in defeating Kaze's plans, he needed to be stopped. It was highly unheard of for a High God to step foot on spirit soil, but it was about time one of them came down and observed things. Aria also had a soft spot in her heart and had also come down to the spirit world to see her daughter.

She had not seen in daughter in one thousand years and an unimaginable joy had filled her heart when she laid yees one her. When the High Gods had agreed to grant her another life, but in the human world with no memories to protect her from any further harm, she was overjoyed.

She had been born of a human mother, but had the same soul as the strongest five thousand year old spirit. Even though Chihiro had been born from another mother, she still looked like the child Aria had given birth to. Birth for spirits wasn't quite the same as humans. The babies soul was formed from the love between the two spirits who were linked to one another, not just the baby being born due to genetics. Sure a female spirit could carry a child, but the whole pregnancy was based mostly on a spirit forming, but in a way it was still a regular pregnancy.

The child born from her womb wasn't supposed to happen, two High Gods falling in love was unacceptable, but it had happened and it was inevitable. The two of them had fallen for each other, two High Gods who were supposed to remain single their whole lives had fallen in love and had given birth to a spirit that was like no other. The child possessed immense power and had the seed, or root, to every kind of power imaginable. That child was Chihiro generally, but Chihiro still had much to learn and regain from her previous life; however, what Aria understood now was that Chihiro was Chihiro, not her former self anymore.

Aria continued to stare out the window thinking all these things over. Her mind contracted between these ideas, thinking too hard if you could see how many thing she was wondering about at once. Aria's life had been so long, the thousands of years she had spent thriving in the Spirit World and overlooking its stability. The state the Spirit World was in now just angered her. How could someone who once had so much temerity and promise fall into this state?

"Juv," Aria muttered to herself. "Why? Why did you do all of this?"

Aria couldn't begin to comprehend the fact as to why her husband would do this sort of thing; however, in the end, she would still love Juv, but she would fight for the Spriit World's sake to stop him. Like she once heard, Love came at a price.

"I guess this is the price I have to pay," she said grimly. "But why this kind of price? It makes no sense."

Aria crossed her arms and stared out the window watching the sun as it continued to rise over the horizon. If only life could be this peaceful: just still, silent, and tranquility. That was the one wish she had, and as long as she still existed in this world, Aria would make that happen.

"It's what I stand for,"she said aloud. "It's my duty to do this kind of thing, but if only the peace would last; if only everything was in a balance of equilibrium.

Aria stood there for another moment and headed towards the doorway of her room, the sun behind her eluminating the back for her new set of clothes that she wore. A traditional kimono aodrned her body; a stricking blue color it was, one that was so pure in sight. It was a plain blue, but its effects were evidenton those who saw it. Air symbols lavished the kimono from the waist down and a ringlet of them were located on the obi around her waist.

She reached for the door, but turned back one more time to glance at the room. One single thought crossed her mind as she opened the door to leave.

_'This is probably the last time I will have moments to myself. From now I will be stepping into a world of oblivian.'_

* * *

Everyone else soon awoke in the following hours, all their sleeping bodies dragging themselves out of bed and down the stairs. One, or two...okay maybe three of them almost fell down the stairs head first. And of course it was the most obvious of people, so it wasn't that big of a surprise.

"Shit!" Hana screamed as she lost her footing on the stairs. She was the last person to head downstairs and she wasn't exactly a morning type of person. "Ahh!"

Hana fell forward, not having any type of balance whatsoever and almost crashed down the stairs; however, she did have lightening quick reflexes which were displayed in her spirit form as well as her human one. Her hands quickly grasped the railing of the stairs and steadied herself before she could fall any further. Her eyes were wide and she was most definitely awake at the moment.

What Hana didn't notice was that at the bottom of the stairs stood Kokatsuna with a wide grin.

"Nice fall you almost had there," he said with a chuckle.

"Shut it brownie," she mumbled.

"Hey," he stated in contrast. "I almost did the same thing this morning, so I'm on the same boat as you."

Hana looked at Kokatsuna for a moment.

"Let me make this straight," Hana said with a wide grin now. "We are never on the same boat. You are probably the most clumsy person on the planet."

"Hey!" yelled Kokatsuna.

"That's just the truth." Hana rolled her eyes and walked down the stairs past Kokatsuna. "Don't get into trouble brownie," she whispered.

Kokatsuna just stood there and shook his head. Hana could be garrolus sometimes, not knowing when to stop talking, always proving herself in some sort of way. But hey, that was just Hana and that make the world just a little more bright. Wait correction, it definitely darkened the day way more. He followed in heed with Hana and entered the kitchen to where everyone else was, or most of them. Chirashi seemed to be missing, as well as Chihiro, but everyone seemed to be there besides that.

"Where's Chihiro?" Hana asked.

"Yeah, and where's Chirashi?" said Kokatsuna.

"She's out with Chirashi somewhere for a bit, even though we are supposed to be discussing something _really _important at the moment." Okami stated with a grimace on his face. Haku looked over at Okami and folded his arms over his chest.

"They'll be back soon," Haku said simply.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Okami.

"They're doing soemthing?" Haku stated once more and Kokatsuna, Lin, Aria, and the Goddess chuckled. Haku still kept his calm composure as he said this, but it was simply to add more amusement.

"Dumb dragon," Okami muttered to himself. "But seriously what are they doing Haku?"

"They said they wanted to investigate a bit to see if there were anymore humans nearby. There are a lot of them coming in at the moment and we need to at least see where most of them are, and the quicker we know, the quicker we can track where Kaze is taking them."

Okami simply nodded and looked to the stove then around to see that there was no food anywhere. His stomach started to grumble, he was seriously hungry at the moment. He hasn't really eaten anything last night, and he was craving something really good at the moment.

"Is there any breakfast?" he asked.

Everyone in the room turned to look at him.

"It's your own house, dumbass." Hana let out a yawn. "Make your own damn breakfast."

"Oh, right." Okami said. "Like I already didn't know that."

* * *

Mizutohi's eyes slowly opened as she glanced around the room. The room around her wasn't one she was familiar with.

_'Where am I?' _she thought.

Mizutohi tried to get up from where she was, but she found that her body was incredibly weak.

"Huh?" she muttered.

As he eyes opened up she could see a bit more clearly. Mizutohi could now see that she wasn't just in a room, but in a prison cell. How had she gotten here? That was something she didn't know. The last thing she remembered was flying to Okami's shack. She had left Zeniba's pretty late last night, but she didn't remember being seriously tired at all. Mizutohi continued to think, then something suddenly hit her. She remembered her body going numb and her falling to the ground over the Ada Ocean; however, she didn't recall crashing into the water below.

She tried to move her limbs, but found they were chained to the wall. Standing didn't work either, and she couldn't believe she had ended up like this. The simple fact that Mizutohi wasn't able to sense anyone around her before she passed out was bizarre as well. Her thoughts became more and more clear after minutes passed but a deep voice interrupted.

"Oh look whose's awake," said the voice. "Have a nice nap?"

As Mizutohi turned her head she could see a familiar figure standing at the cell door as well as someone she didn't know.

"Kaze," growled Mizutohi.

"Hi to you too, Mizutohi. You would probably like to know where you are, don't you? Well to give you a hint there are a lot of other creatures down here and you'll perish just like the rest of them. Thanks to Juv it was so easy to capture you, no problem at all. Oh, I almost forgot. Welcome to your new earthbound hell. I hope you will enjoy your stay."

* * *

**MUHAHAHAHA...Cliffhanger :D Well some of you might notice the chapter is coming out a bit early compared to usual and that is for two reasons.**

**1) It's my birthday, so why not update just for the sake of it.**

**2) Going skiing again this weekend and won't be able to update :D**

**I want to thank the following for reviewing:**

**Ialiceiamagodness: Thanks for the review :D and thank you :)**

**EasternWindDragon: Lol I loved her reaction and was chuckling a bit as I wrote, there definitely has to be some humor here and there. Thanks for the review :D Teehee HakuX Chihiro moment, but this chapter ruined it a bit :/ Haku is unsettled for some unknown reason about their relationship. **

**Breezy: Thanks for the review and yup yup, perfect reaction ;)**

**ludin: Ahh Hana looking like an idiot, best moments ever, right? and no problem about informing you :) Just elt me know if you have any other questions! Thanks for reviewing!**

**Silver Ninja: Thanks for the review and lol best moments are when Hana looked like an idiot ;)**

**bassethound1021: Hey thanks for reading this story! And thanks for the review! Oh and if you didn't get my pm, next chapter for Alone in the Mist should be out next week. **

**Thank you all for the reviews! Currently at 225! Keep the reviews coming and see ya all next week ;) And sorry if there are any errors in the chapter :D**


	64. Chapter 64 Tears

Both of them stood there silently, with no response in heed. They tried to respond, but nothing, simply nothing could exit their mouths.

"How?" both of them questioned at the same.

"I felt it, I shouldn't have let her go, but she left on her own," replied the witch to the two young spirits. "She was just out the door and then I felt a tinge, just a tinge of power overwhelm the area around the house, or even the perimeter of the house including a mile out or so. I don't know if she sensed it or not, but by the time I got outside she wasn't there. I knew she was close by so I should have been able to see her, but by the time I reached the door there was absolutely no trace of her whatsoever."

"How long ago did it happen?"asked Chihiro in an urgent voice, her sound quivering as it came out.

"Not to long ago, in the really early hours of the morning. I tried to contact you guys, you basically, but no response came. So I had no choice but to wait."

"You couldn't have used a spell to come to us or use a messenger? Like take an inanimate object and turn it into a messenger of some sort. I forget what the spell is called, but I know you as a witch are capable of something like that." Chirashi stood there with her arms crossed. She was unusually calm at the moment, no hesitation or nervousness showing through at all.

Chihiro glanced at Zeniba carefully and tried to see what the witch was feeling. She could sense something wrong, but the witch was concealing it rather good.

"Did something else happen, Granny?" Chihiro looked at the witch in her eyes with a soothing look.

"Yes," the witch said simply.

Chirashi got a perplexed look upon her face. The witch who had usually been so garrulous in a way, not being annoying, but always talking and providing advice, had become utterly silent at this point. Chirashi was surprised to hear the single word responses Zeniba was providing.

"Why didn't you tell us when we got here?" asked Chihiro who was confused as well.

"I-I...I don't know. I seemed to have forgot about it till you said that. Now that I think about it," said the witch rubbing her head. "Everything before I got knocked out seems hazy. I remember a voice telling me that I wouldn't remember anything, and I tried to counter the spell they cast, but I guess some of it worked."

"Wait, you had a spell placed on you?" said Chirashi and Chihiro simultaneously.

"It seems so," said Zeniba and looked up to see the young ones bewildered faces. "Children it;s not like I can't have a spell cast on me, but the one who cas tit was very strong. Nothing that my power could compete with."

"What do you mean?" asked Chihiro.

"It didn't feel like a spirit's or a gods power. It was something more, something that shouldn't be existing in these plains of the spirit world."

"Something like what?" Chirashi pushed out the question, seriously wanting to know what she was going to say.

"Be patient, young one. It's like you are trying to pull a sword out of me, please hold on. Like I was saying, it didn't feel normal to me in any way. The skill and power of the being, in the short time I felt it, was immense. So immense that I could feel the wave of it rumble through me. It could've been a-"

"A High God," finished Chihiro. "It must've been Juv, Chirashi. It had to have been."

Chirashi looked at Chihiro and gave her a slight nod, but seemed to be thinking more deeply at the moment. Her mind was on the same topic, but her attention was drawn in on how it could've been Juv. If he was exiled from the Circle, then how could he have his powers? At the very least, have any powers in the first place. Chihiro had said he had attacked her back at the house, so how was he able to conjure up so much power in the first place?

"It's Kaze," she abruptly blurted out.

"Wait what?" said Chihiro a bit started.

"Have you figured something out young one?" asked Zeniba

"It's Kaze," Chirashi repeated again. "I know this may have been mentioned once, or I have at least thought of the idea but how can Juv have power? If he was exiled from the Circle, then wouldn't his powers be taken or locked away as well? Kaze must be trying to unlock them for Juv; that has to be his new weapon, the High God of Life and Death. He's slowly unlocking Juv's power and it was displayed when Chihiro was attacked at Okami's house."

Chihiro stood there, a look of horror slowly coming upon her face. A new weapon? A High God that controlled life and Death on Kaze's side? With his full power, Juv could wipe this world and the human world out. There would be no life existent in either one. Then why was Kaze still letting the humans come in? Was he just bringing them in to murder them just for fun?

Chihro's fists suddenly tightened, her knuckles turning white in the process and the blood disappearing from her hands. The muscles within her body tensed completely, her mind was quickly being overcome by rage and Chihiro's heart rate seemed to pick up slightly.

Chirashi and Zeniba looked at the young girl. Zeniba could tell that something in Chihiro had just been cut, like a sort of string or line. Chirasih could easily see the sudden switch in emotion from the young spirit. Chirashi bent down a little to get a better look at Chihiro since her head was now hanging down and shading her face.

"Chihiro?" Chirashi questioned quietly.

"Kaze," whispered Chihiro.

A heavy air seemed to dawn upon the room, an unsettling feeling began to overwhelm everyone in the room. The old witch in the chair was even surprised at the feeling. Her eyes suddenly drifted to Chihiro.

_'It's her isn't it. She's the cause of it.'_

Zeniba immediately stood up and flew across the room to Chihiro. She landed in front of her and placed her old wrinked hands on the girl's shoulders.

"Calm down," said the witch sternly, but a sense of comfort was in there. "Chihiro you need to stop this, I have heard things about you, your former self, before I found you as my granddaughter. Pleas stop what is overcoming you.

"Is she-" Chirashi couldn't finish her sentence though as relization hit her.

"Her anger is taking over her, young one. She's beginning to lose herself."

"Kaze," Chihiro whispered again and the rage slowly increasing; however, that was just the start of the rage and anger she had within her body.

"Kaze! That bastard! The humans are still coming in, but is it the free will he still wants and my internal fire? He's probably bringing them in to just murder them for fun and cause chaos with all the missing people in the Human World! He's probably just trying to break down the worlds slowly then use Juv to either end both or bring about on of his own! And on top of that, he is taking away our friends."

Chihiro was now looking up and her eye color was evidently different; it was now as black as night, pupils dilated completely. Zeniba did not back away as she saw this but pulled Chihiro into her chest. Zeniba knew she could not lose power, but the things she had just said all seemed possible and we probably true. It was probably the anger and the frustration that was overwhelming her now from all the previous weeks she had been here. Just six weeks ago she was a normal fifteen year old girl attending school, now she was something else entirely.

"Child," Zeniba whispered into Chihiro's ears. "We'll fix this, I promise. We'll defeat Kaze, but you need to get a hold of yourself."

Chirashi stood there, silent and stunned. She had seen Chihiro like this before, just a few select times in the past. It was not pretty, it was probably the scariest and most horrid thing she had ever seen. Chirashi couldn't ever imagine a spirit ever having that kind of power, but yet she was friends with one who did. The power she produced when she went into that kind of stage was a power that could easily wipe out people with no problem. It was probably a person's, or was a person's worst nightmare.

"Chihiro we'll all help and plus your mom is here to help us. We have a power High God on our side as well with full power, we'll easily defeat Kaze and your father, I promise. And plus," Chirashi added. "Do you think Haku would like to see you like this? He would be devastated to see you in this state, even though he sometimes rarely shows emotions."

Chirashi gave a soft laugh, but the blackness around Chihiro grew, a black aura languidly forming around her. Little sparks jumped off her, but they were black as well; however, the changing of her hair color was something else to focus on. Chihiro's hair went from its regular chestnut color to a almost pitch black stage. It was so black, so evil looking, the sight of it hurt your eyes. Despite that, Zeniba held her close.

"Child calm down, we all know how you feel."

"He's killing people!" Chihiro cried with both sadness and anger. "My human parents could be next, or defenseless little children!"

"I know," responded Zeniba. "But we can't stop him if you don't calm down and regain yourself."

Chihiro seemed to ignore Zeniba's response as she cried out once more. But an immense burst of power filled the room at that moment, the walls darkened and the fire in the fireplace turned dark. Zeniba and Chirashi felt the darkness overwhelm them, but it was just for a moment.

"On top of that, that thing helping Kaze is my father. A man who once took care of me is now doing something like this?! How could he do something like that? How can someone who once was a father and had a child go and murder a people so innocently. Even though he's seen so many deaths, how can he be the true cause of one?"

Zeniba looked down at Chihiro and saw tears streaming down her face. A smile formed as she saw Chihiro's black aura fade. The oncoming tears signified that she had come back to reality.

"He...He...How could he..." Chihiro cried into Zeniba's chest.

"I don't know, young one. I don't know what his motive is, but please be happy and regain yourself. We all care about you and don't want to see you like this. And like Chirashi said, Haku wouldn't want to see you like this."

Chihiro just continued to cry, but Haku seemingly was not really in her mind right now. Her unsettled state had been bothering her and the little outburst about both of them had last night was something she didn't want to have again. Haku had been on edge the past two weeks. The others hadn't noticed it, but she had; however, Chihiro brought not attention to it.

Last night for her demonstrated that something was clearly bothering Haku, and that it was a thing he needed to settle for himself. She knew if she tried to approach him another little stupid argument would erupt. But was it a problem she should consider herself or pay attention on the whole epidemic going on around her?

She continued to cry, no straight thoughts flowing through her head, but a single memory arose that should've brought a smile to Chihiro's face. In the end though, she simply ignored it and tried to refuse to look upon it.

* * *

_'Do your best Rapisu,' said a tall man that was covered in a cloak._

_'You're not coming with me, Daddy?' questioned the young girl._

_'I can't' the man stated. 'This is a journey you need to take, but remember, me and your mom will always be watching over you. After all, you are a powerful and beautiful girl.'_

_'Daddy, please come with me. I will miss you if you don't.'_

_'I can't.' said the tall man again. 'But I want you to know that I love you, Rapisu.'_

_Tears slipped down the young girl's face._

_'I love you too, Daddy.'_

* * *

**And so that is the end of chapter 64! Hope you all enjoyed this. I'm going to make this short since I am rather busy, but I want to thank all the following for reviewing:**

**Breezy, Silver Ninja, bassethound1021, Scarlet Ammo 19, ludin, BloodRose, EasternWindDragon, Guest, NaRuTo99SWag, and Ialiceiamagoddess**

**I promise I will do responses next chapter, but thanks for all the happy birthdays and all the reviews I got last chapter! I got 11 reviews last chapter and I wish I could just hug you all. Thank you again and seriously hope you enjoyed this chapter. Next time we should be seeing what happened to Mizutohi, what Kaze is planning, and many more things to come! Adios!**


	65. Chapter 65 Never and Ever

The cells were dark and gloomy, and the air was stale as Mizutohi breathed it into her lungs. The putrid smells the also permeated the air almost made Mizutohi throw up from time to time; although, the ear piercing screams were what affected her most. She couldn't stand to listen to them anymore, and if she could, she would break out of the cell and beat the guards to a pulp. The screams were really the only thing Mizutohi payed attention to anymore, the guards comments were the hardest to dismiss, but she did what she had to do. Their taunting was just building up a power and hatred inside of her, that if she could get her hands on them she would wring their necks out with ease.

"Feeling at home yet?" Asked a guard as he walked by laughing. He stood in front of Mizutohi's cell and gripped the bars and looked in. "Your not gonna respond to me you vermin?" He laughed once more and hit the cell with a baton he had in his hand.

"You group of Lost Ones are a joke, can't even escape a cell."

Mizutohi looked up from where she was sitting and snarled.

"Why don't you come in here and fight me, you filthy bastard," challenged Mizutohi. This one guard has been getting on her nerves a lot in the past twenty four hours, it was like he was attracted to her cell or something. He had dropped by numerous times throughout the day and night just to taunt and tease her.

"I wouldn't want to destroy your pretty face," he replied with a smirk.

Mizutohi rolled her eyes and suck back into the position she was originally in. The cell in general was mentally and physically draining, the boredom was the worst of all, at least this guard brought some sort of entertainment, she thought. Mizutohi glanced out of the corner of her eye to see the guard still standing there; staring and looking right at her.

"Do you have a problem or something, buddy?" she asked in a angered tone.

The guard just chucked in response.

"I asked do you have a problem? I don't see the point of you standing outside the damn cell and staring at me."

The guard turned fully, and faced the cell. "I suggest you don't get nasty with me," said the guard in a low voice. "I can do whatever I want to you."

Mizutohi sat there silently for a moment, then burst out laughing from the guard's response. He thought he would let him walk into her cell willingly and do whatever he pleased? She was not stupid, she would do whatever she could to keep him away or get out of here.

"You think you can do whatever you want to me," Mizutohi corrected. "If you want to try and see what you can do, go ahead, but as you step in here I'll kick your ass and rip your head off your body. I'm really not in the mood at the moment as you can tell."

The guard examined Mizutohi, her facial expression and her demeanor; ultimately, he could conclude that he did not like her attitude. Not once did he have a prisoner talk back to him. The blood in his body boiled a bit, like a cover on a pot full of heated water, if kept up this sassy act, his top would blow. He gripped the cell door and yanked it open and stood in the cell entryway and glared at her.

"You wanna test me, low life?" he growled. Mizutohi looked from where she was sitting and just stared at him. "I asked you a question, I expect you to answer it."

"Why do you come by here so much?" she asked in a soft voice. "In the whole day I have been here, I have seen your face more then I have seen any other person face in this wasteland. Is there a reason why?"

The guard just stared at her, his expression softening for a moment. She had guessed right, there had been a reason he had been dropping by so much, but she would never guess it or understand, so why explain? He looked at her again, her blue hair settling around her, all the scratches not tainting her beauty one bit. Would she understand, he contemplated. And he continued to come up with the same answer, Mizutohi would not understand, never and ever.

"You have a reason why, don't you? I can see it in your expression. Do I attract you or something, or you just like to plainly tease me?"

"I suggest you shut your trap before I do it for you." He stood there, and tried to be as harsh as he could because, well, in the end, it didn't matter. It didn't matter because she would never understand, or would she?

"Come on in and shut it then, you seem like such a big shot, why don't you try it. I'm usually really calm, but being in here in really agitating me, so maybe kicking your ass could be a sort of entertainment for me."

_'I know you are usually really calm,' _he thought. _'It is so weird to see you angry, Mizutohi.'_

"Whatever low life, just shut your trap."

He turned and exited the cell, his fists clenched in a nice little bundle. He couldn't bring himself to do it, he just couldn't. He heard her laughing as he walked out of the cell, her comments stung to his skin.

"You're just a big shot aren't you? All talk and no action, huh?" She let out a huge laugh. "You don't deserve be a guard if that."

He looked back at her out of the corner of his eye, and his eye met hers for just a moment and something happened; however, he quickly turned away before anything else could happen. Silence fell over her cell as she now stared at him through the cell. Mizutohi had realized something, but what?

"I suggest you keep quiet if you don't want to die in here," said the guard as he locked the cell. "Laughing isn't a good idea either."

"Wait," she replied, but he was gone before she finished her statement.

'_You will never understand, will you, Mizutohi?'_

* * *

**Hi guys, a little late on the update, but I'm just typing this before I hit the road for vacation. I'm breaking this up into 2 parts. The second part will be much longer, but I wanted to get this out before anything else could happen. I'll do review responses next chapter, and hope you like this chapter :D Review :D**


	66. Chapter 66 Tracking

Chihiro sprinted out of the house, not wasting anymore time considering that Mizutohi was now being held captive by Kaze. Chirashi ran out after her as well and leapt into the air, soaring past Chihiro before Chihiro had lifted off. The afternoon sun was now splaying across the spirit lands. Chihiro let out a sigh and flew after her as well, both spirits followed the directions they had received from Zeniba. The witch had been able to give them a quite solid direction as to where Kaze's fortress was because of the power she had been affected by. Zeniba had been able to trace the magic to a place deep in the mountains to the west, concealed by the looming pillars of rocks.

They flew side by side, feeling where the power could be originating from. They themselves had been able to sense where it was coming from, but it was slight, very slight. They knew the should've contacted the others, but they were truly too far away now to contact one another through the mind. That power was limited to distance, and to those who wished to use it.

They were heading into something they had no way planned for whatsoever. Chihiro realized that where they were heading was probably where the humans were being held, like Mizutohi. Chihiro didn't have the slightest idea what Kaze could have in store for them when they arrive, what he did to the humans he had captured and what he had done to Mizutohi.

At the moment, she was just focused on getting her friend back. They couldn't lose one of the Lost Ones to an enemy like him, and especially since Kaze had Juv on his side, the chance of Mizutohi being in danger skyrocketed. Chihiro just hoped that she was okay, but when her and Chirashi got there, were they going to rescue the humans there or wait till they had everyone together to do so?

Chihiro remained in deep thought and Chirashi noticed this as they were flying. Chirashi decided to keep silent at the moment, to let Chihiro sort out her thoughts. She could probably guess what the multi-powered spirit was thinking. The key question was what was going to happen when they got there? Did Kaze know they were coming? Would they be ambushed as soon as they arrived on the premises of his land?

"Maybe we should've contacted the others," Chirashi mumbled as she continued to fly across the cloudless sky.

* * *

"Shouldn't they be back by now?" questioned Haku who was pacing back and forth in the living room. Breakfast had been a few hours and Chirashi and Chihiro had yet to return.

"Chihiro didn't say she was going to be out for long," said Okami. "She and Chirashi went to go check out something, I don't think it should've taken this long though."

The High God walked over to where the young Lost Ones were. She was no getting worried about her daughter as well, she had not told any of them where she was going, but Chirashi was with her, so Aria was hoping they weren't doing anything reckless.

"You did say they were checking out something," stated Hana. "Think about if for a second, with the current situation and all. Where do you think they could've gone? Could something have happened that we don't about?"

All of them stopped what they were doing and looked at Hana. Haku's eyes searched her face for a moment, then widened a little. Chihiro went to check out something, so could she have gone to check out anything to do with Kaze? If she had, she would be putting herself and Chirashi in danger. Haku was hoping that this was not the case. He looked to Okami and saw he was thinking the same thing.

"Could they have gone to where Kaze is?" Haku asked.

"That...maybe be a possibility." Okami and Haku looked at one another trying to contemplate on what to do.

"But we don't know where they went for sure," said Hana, but Aria stepped forward and stop before the three of them.

"I can feel where my daughter is. If you wish to know where she and her friend are, we can go look. I can't pinpoint the exact location, but I can lead you to where she may be."

Haku could do the same, any of them in that very room could probably track where Chihiro would be, but the High God could most likely do it three times better then the young Lost Ones. There still remained a problem; they could leave the kids, Aria, Livia and Peter home alone. Come to think of it though, wasn't Lin still there, questioned Haku? He scanned the room to see no sign of the brown haired weasel spirit.

"Where could she have gone?" mumbled the dragon spirit.

"Haku?" asked Hana. "Something wrong?"

"We need someone to watch the kids," he suggested, but he quickly took his statement back as he heard a mixture of laughter and yelling from upstairs. "I think that problem is solved. Think Lin will be able to handle them?"

"Hopefully," laughed Okami nervously. "Now lets head out before the girls get into any trouble. But...Wait...Where's Kokatsuna?"

The brown haired spirit knocked on the wall and waved to them. "Over here, you weirdos. Now are we going or what?" The others just simply shrugged, got up and headed towards the door. Haku was the first one out as he tested the air to see if he could trace a signature of Chihiro's powers anywhere, but in the end, there was none, absolutely nothing.

* * *

The cell she was sitting in couldn't have been anymore boring and dull. Plus the smells permeating around her agitated her nose. Mizutohi, in no way, was used to this kind of thing. That annoying guard that she had told to stay away from the cell still occasionally walked past, and they would glimpse at each other for a moment or two.

_'Who is that guy exactly?' she thought. 'He looks so...familiar.'_

* * *

**_Yes I have not updated in ages and I'm sorry. More importantly, sorry for the short chapter, but hope to have the next one up soon, will be longer of course, just wanted to get this one out. Review guys! Love ya :D_**


	67. Chapter 67 Reaching The Destination

"I feel them approaching. Hm, my love is coming to me finally," said Kaze with a small chuckle.

He stood on a small section of land outside his domain, searching the air for his love's could trace Chihiro's power for miles if he wanted to, but he didn't have to worry, she and her friend were coming right to him. What's a better way to start off the day then this? All he had to do was have Juv capture Mizutohi, it was all perfectly planned, her leaving the witch's house and all. No further work had to be done except casting the spell he had asked Juv to cast.

The water and fire dragon was now being held in dungeons below the castle, where the humans were also being held as well. It was actually very hard to get into those dungeons, at the moment only he and Juv had access to get in, besides the guards of course.

He had very few guards down there, ones that he could trust and keep an eye on. They were simply down there to make sure the humans stayed where they were and nothing got out of the dungeons. He would have to start killing off the humans, not that he didn't already start doing that. More and more of them were accumulating and he needed the space. And plus, the more he killed, the more free will he would have. If Kaze couldn't have the internal fire Chihiro had, he would simply get it from another force and in the process, he would destroy the human world. What need was there for such filthy creatures to exist besides the fact that they had free will?

"None." he said aloud, but to himself.

Kaze's dream would come true, all of them to be precise. His fantasies would become reality, but the one thing to needed to cooperate wouldn't.

"Oh Chihiro," he said with a sigh. "Everything is going just as planned. Thanks to my other subordinates getting the one thing I needed. I have been waiting weeks for it, but it has finally arrived."

Kaze turned to look up at the castle and glanced at where his room would be. A small smirk crossed his face.

"I finally obtained another one of the sacred spirits of the winds: The Winds of Foresight. With the precious spirit in my hands, I can finally foretell the future, and turn the tables in my favor. Sure the Winds of Memories was obtained and used by my love, but I have the upper hand now. All their movies will be known by me, their motives will fail."

A small chuckle escaped his lips.

"And my love will be mine again. Hello Chihiro and goodbye Kohaku."

* * *

Chihiro and Chirashi continued to fly in the direction Zeniba had told them to. Tall peaks began to show themselves in the distance, and they knew they were approaching the destination Zeniba has described, known as the Arcadian Mountains. They were probably the tallest mountains in the western region of the spirit world, the perfect place for Kaze to conceal his plan.

"We'll be there soon," said Chirashi.

Chihiro looked over at her and nodded slightly. "I know, but I can feel something is wrong. I don't know if I should listen to this feeling or not. But for now, I'm on focused on rescuing Mizutohi. And if there's anything else we can do while we're there, we will. It's about time we stopped Kaze's plan before it even becomes set in stone."

"Agreed," said Chirashi softly. They continued to fly, slowly reaching the Arcadian Mountains in the distance.

* * *

Okami and Hana ran on the ground while Haku, Kokatsuna and the Goddess remained in the air. The wind passed them by, just like the thoughts did insdie Haku's head. If one could look inside his thoughts, it would be hard to keep track of what he was thinking exactly. Hana would glance over once in a while to see a twisted expression on Haku's face and all she could do was sigh. He worried to much.

"I can't believe she's out there by herself," muttered Haku.

Sure she could take care of herself, he had no doubt about it, but he wouldn't have concurred, if he had a say in the whole thing, to let her go out. For some reason, they were now avoiding each other, a reason so completely foreign to him. Why was Chihiro avoiding him? Haku wasn't truly sure he could even answer that question efficiently, or even to the best of his ability.

"She's not by herself," interrupted Kokatsuna. "She's with Chirashi silly, so stop worrying so much you crazed dragon."

Haku glanced over at Kokatsuna, and realized he had heard what he said. He pretended to clear his throat and continued to fly.

"I'm not worrying," he mumbled.

"Well it sure seems like you are, Haku. Your expression is like an open book, I can read right off of every page. It's not that hard to see that you have a lot of stuff on your mind at the moment. You don't even know if she's going to be in trouble or not, so stop worrying. You worrying isn't going to make anything better, in the long run, it'll probably just make everything worse."

Haku looked at Kokatsuna once more and gave him a slight nod in agreement; however, he wouldn't stop worrying. Even though Chihiro was a spirit now and a little bit older, that didn't mean she was going to be any less clumsy then she was five years back, or at least that's what he wanted. He wanted to protect her, be there by her side when she was in danger, although, he knew that was not the case now. Chihiro was working her way back up to her full potential. She would soon learn of what she had been, and what she would become. She was once a fearsome spirit, but she also had been a frail human, now the two of them mixed, it would either be a great thing or a total disaster. Her having the power of a spirit but the soul and thoughts similar to a humans put her at risk.

"I'm fine," he replied back a few seconds later. "I'm just thinking, not worrying."

Kokatsuna just rolled his eyes and continued to fly.

_'That dragon will never change will he?' _thought Kokatsuna.

Kokatsuna had known Haku basically all his life, and no matter what any spirit told him, Haku had made no effort to change his ways most of the time. In some cases it was a good thing, in others, not so much. Like if Chihiro got hurt, the dragon would be crazed and running around like a lunatic wondering what happened to his dear Chihiro, which in turn, didn't make the situation any better because he couldn't think straight. However, Kokatsuna could see where Haku was coming from. Secretly, he was worried about Chirashi, but promised himself he wouldn't show it.

That girl of his could do stupid things as well, unbelievable and crazy things, but Kokatsuna trusted the girl he knew. He knew she was smart and cunning, and wouldn't let a second of planning go to waste. Worrying about Chirashi would be simply silly. She had enough power to protect herself, but hey, he had to worry a little bit right?

* * *

"Quit screaming," Rin screamed at the three kids in front of her. "All I hear you guys doing is arguing and you barely know each other! I don't want to have t babysit you, I'm not your mom."

Peter, Livia and Aria just looked at Rin for a moment, then they started giggling.

"Well your old enough to be a mom. Your like eight thousand years old right?" Peter giggled some more. "Your an old lady!" He chanted.

"What?!" Lin cried.

* * *

The dungeons had become silent for once, the air not filled by screams, but with utter silence. Mizutohi sat there and thought something was wrong, it was unusual for the place to be this quite. There was usually some sort of screaming going on, or arguments that carried through the lower floors of the castle.

"What's going on?" She said to herself aloud.

"Nothing. It's just the time of day everyone gets food. It's around noon now you know." The same guard she had told to go away about ten thousand times in the past like nine hours, was once again at the front of her cell.

"Didn't I tell you to stay away?" Mizutohi said with a sneer.

"Didn't I tell you not to talk back to me?" threatened the guard and lifted his hand which held a light flame. "I'll use this to burn your face off if you continue to disobey my orders."

"I can control fire too, you idiot."

"You're in a cell with a magic spell placed on it, you can do anything."

"Yeah...well...just go away." muttered Mizutohi as she turned her body and faced the side wall of her cell. "Just leave me alone you damn idiot."

* * *

**Well back with another chapter! Thanks for the reviews last chapter, love you all! This one, again, is a little bit on the short side, but longer then the last one. I know some of you have wanted a fight scene and I promise one will be coming up in the next few chapters. So stay tuned! Next one should be out really soon considering I have off school for a few days for Memorial Day break. See ya soon and review ;)**

**Oh oh before I go! I have a question!**

**Who would you want to see a fight scene between? Haku and Kaze? Chihiro and Kaze? Mizutohi and the Guard? Juv and Aria? Etc? **


	68. Chapter 68 Manipulation

The Arcadian Mountains were probably the biggest mountains in the western region of this portion of the Spirit World. Chihiro never remembered ever being in this part of the Spirit World, but she had to say, she was amazed. The peaks of the mountains reached out of the ground to touch the sky, scratching the surface of the clouds it seemed. This natural sight was something she could never fathom, but Chihiro knew now was not the time to be admiring the mountains that held the secrets of her enemy.

"Kaze should just be over these mountains," muttered Chirashi. "You sense that energy right?"

Chihiro gave a small nod in reply.

"I feel the energy along with this feeling of pain. Like something has happened, and people are feeling pain because of it."

Chirashi looked from Chihiro to the high, towering mountains. Pain? Well the idea didn't sound so far fetched considering Kaze has from pretty nasty and devious plans up his sleeve. But what type of pain could Chihiro be talking about? The thought of it scared Chirashi and she didn't want to know what was going on suddenly.

"I hope your wrong, Chihiro," whispered Chirashi and suddenly the mountains opened up to reveal a towering castle. The millions of bricks that had been used to build this structure brought it up to the heavens. Windows ran the the sides of the castle, and a large door rested at the front. It was the only thing in the valley that would catch your eye. The castle was beautiful, yet it had an evil to it. It was like a staircase to heaven, except in this case, it was a staircase to hell.

"That's it," spoke Chihiro, who had a tinge of fear in her voice.

"Yeah...And now we have to get in..."

The two girls flew down the side of the mountain, being careful to bring too much attention to themselves. The wind in these parts were rather strong, so it pushed back on the young spirits, but they eventually arrived at the base of the mountain they had flown down. They looked upon the open landscape, which held the castle, and one question pricked at their mind.

How were they supposed to get in?

There seemed to be a number of ways the young spirits could get in, but they knew nothing about the security Kaze had around the castle. By now, each of them had suspected that Kaze knew they were on the premises, so it wouldn't make much of a difference if they sneaked in, or blasted down the front doors really.

"He can probably sense us, or at least that there's an usual aroma of power around the area," Chirashi suggested.

Chihiro glanced at Chirashi for a moment, then looked back to the castle.

"Yes, but either way, we came to rescue Mizutohi. I don't care what it takes, we're getting into that castle."

"As cunning as ever, aren't you?"

"If a friend is in danger, there's no reason to fool around." Chihiro said seriously.

"There was never a reason to fool around in the first place. There has been a problem from the start, we just didn't realize it because the problem covered at first. We were just blind to the fact that this whole situation was bound to come about one way or another. We probably could've never prevented it."

"Maybe if I never died," said Chihiro quietly. "Maybe Kaze would've never taken over like this."

"Yeah, well," responded Chirashi. "You can't undo the hands of time, you can only push them forward."

* * *

He watched them stand outside his castle, on his land. He couldn't be more pleased that the Winds of Foresight had been right, then again, it could see into the future, that was the spirit's job. There were still three more of the sacred winds out there, besides the Winds of Memories and Foresight; however, he really didn't know their names. The only two names that had ever been in legends were the ones he had come in contact with. No one knew why or how those spirits came about, of course there were to tales as to how, but there never seemed to be a true solid story that could put someone at ease.

Kaze simply just watched, he decided that he would let them come to him. He would pull back the guards from the entrance, and simply let them waltz into his domain of hell.

"How nice it is to see you again, Chihiro," whispered Kaze. "You shall come in contact with you father soon anyway.

Kaze put two fingers to his temple and closed his eyes. He had a power, one used by few, to talk telepathically. It was easier this way, simply because he didn't need his guards messing up the message.

_'Juv, your daughter has arrived on the premises. Go find her and her friends. I wish to see my love before I lock her away.'_

Kaze took his finger off his head for a moment, but a response came back quick; however, it seemed to be filled with hesitation.

_'Yes, Kaze. I will attend to them. Do you want me to do anything specific? Or just bring them to you?'_

_'Bring them,' _Kaze paused for a moment. _'Or actually, force them down into the dungeons. I would like them to see what I have been doing with those filthy vermins for sometime. I want them to see how pathetic they have been, not being able to rescue all these humans. They should've been prepared for this kind of thing.'_

The response to Kaze didn't come right away.

_'Yes, Kaze.'_

With that, the telepathic conversation between the two quickly ended as it had started. Kaze liked having a strong High God at his disposal, and he wasn't necessarily worried about Juv revolting against him. The High God wouldn't dare d something like that because in the end, Juv couldn't even use his full power. At the moment, Kaze was by far stronger than the High God, although, he wasn't that ignorant. He knew there was a possibly that Juv could regain his full power, anything was possible in this world. What he truly feared was that Chihiro would be the one to bring about that power, or even worse, the arrival of another High God could cause it.

* * *

Haku kept his eyes trained on the ground, and his senses were on high alert. He could feel magic pulsating through the air, but not enough to signify that there was a High God around or a powerful spirit. His mind at the moment was really only trained on finding Chihiro; however, he did hear bits and pieces of conversations going on between the others, but for now none of those there were of much concern to him.

Haku continued to fly, the terrain below him slowly changing from flat plains into mountains and valleys. Him and the others had been going in the direction Zeniba directed them in, but Haku wasn't really too sure what he was goign to come up upon.

"Stupid girl," he muttered. "Running off like that."

Little did Haku know the reason for Chihiro running away, or more importantly, what she was doing now. All Haku was to retrieve with his conversation from Zeniba was where they were supposed to go. She was going to tell him something else, but something happened between the two that just suddenly seemed to kick off. Now that he began to think about it more, he didn't even seem to remember the end of their conversation.

* * *

The two girls remained invisible, even though they had a feeling their presence was well known on the premises of Kaze's castle. Chirashi's eyes scaled up the castle walls trying to find a good way into the castle without making too much commotion, and Chihiro was doing the same, but she still had that odd gut feeling.

It had been going on since before they arrived, and it was really bothering her. Although now, she had learned to ignore it a bit, the feeling was still emanating from within her. Chihiro looked ahead at the giant castle and tried to figure out what Kaze could be hiding from inside of it. There were a million possibilities about what Kaze could be doing inside that castle, and there were probably some things she wouldn't like to know.

"How are we getting in?" whispered Chirashi.

Chihiro looked over at where Chirashi would be.

"I don't know, it seems the whole thing is quite guarded, or is supposed to be. Right now I don't see any guards whatsoever. Shouldn't there be people outside guarding this place. Knowing Kaze he wouldn't be this stupid to leave everything open like this."

"He could be purposefully doing it," suggest Chirashi. "You never know. That spirit is pretty smart, you can never underestimate him."

"True, true," said Chihiro. But as she said this she spotted an open door to the left of the castle. After what Chirashi had said, Chihiro didn't know whether they should go through it or not, but she simply pointed and Chirashi looked at it. They exchanged glances for a moment, contemplating if going through that door into the castle would be the right choice because whatever they did from here on in, could determine whether they would get caught or not.

"Let's go," one of them muttered. "We need to rescue Mizutohi and see what's going on in here. We can wander out here anymore."

"Your right," replied the other.

Both spirits walked up to the door, their bodies still invisible, but little did they know their presence was very well known, very well. A figure stood a few feet away from them, making sure they were going in the right direction, but not because they wanted to, but because they had to.

Little did they know their minds had been of course, anyone like them wouldn't have known. The figure was very good at this, a High God with lots of training. A small smirk creeped up on Juv's face as his daughter and her friend walked through the one door that led down into the dungeons.

_'I'm sorry, Chihiro. But...I'm going to do as Kaze said, you will see what you have failed to do and complete.'_

Juv glanced up to see that Chirashi and Chihiro had wandered right through the door, just had he had planned. Now they would just walk down the stairs and into a true world of hell, full of screaming and torture. Down there were worthless begins, beings that didn't deserve the free will they had. And for that, they would be punished, but this could've been avoided if the Lost Ones had done something sooner.

But they would now see what they had let happen, and it would sink into their souls, and they would soon sink to their knees before one spirit. They would kneel before Kaze and he would have no mercy. Juv knew this, that's what the Winds of Foresight had , he couldn't decide whether he agreed and disagreed about what was going to happen.

* * *

**Finally done with this chapter! Ugh -_- I'm finally done with school tomorrow, or at least it's my last full day, then two weeks and summer's here! I couldn't be anymore happy! I want to thank all of you who have reviewed! I love you all! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! I'll do review responses next chapter :D Love you all and see you soon ;)**


	69. Chapter 69 Excerpt

Chihiro crashed into a wall and slumped into the ground. She blinked her eyes a few times and looked up to see a blurry finger looming before her. The last few moments had been a blur. The next thing she had known, she was hit up on top of the head and was being attacked. Her and Chirashi had entered a side entrance of the castle, only to find the door being shut behind them, the moment they stepped in.

Chihiro had tried to look back, but her hair had been grabbed and she was thrown against the wall. That's the curent situation she was in now, and all she could think to do was shoot a stream of water at the gloomy figure standing in front of her. To Chihiro's right, a cry from Chirashi was heard and someone yelling as well.

Chirashi was hit over the head, but she quickly struck back and punched the guard in the face. At the moment she wasn't think about using her powers. The ancient bird spirit just retaliated with her fists. Both Chirashi and Chihiro looked at each other for a moment, and then went back to attacking the people in front of them.

"What a surprise," mumbled Chihiro. "Guess this was a trap."

The multi powered spirit sighed and locked the guards arm.

* * *

Haku managed to get a trace of Chihiro's power lingering in the air and the others continued to follow behind him. All that was left of the group at the moment was Kokatsuna, Okami and Hana. Lin and the two children were at the house. The Goddess was following them as well, she was there to make sure her daughter got back safe, but also to assist the others in to getting into Kaze's castle.

* * *

**Hello people I haven't seen in a few months. You can kill me if you want, but I am typing up the next chapter. I don't really have any excuses, but I hope to have the next chapter out soon. Enjoy this for now :P**


	70. Chapter 70 Power

Chihiro crashed into a wall and slumped to the ground. She blinked her eyes a few times and looked up to see a blurry figure looming before her. The last few moments had been a blur. The next thing she knew, she was hit on top of the head and her attacker stood a mere inch away. Her and Chirashi had entered a side entrance of the castle, only to find the door being shut behind them the moment they stepped in.

Chihiro had tried to look back, but her hair had been grabbed and she was thrown against the wall. In the current situation she was in, all she could think to do was shoot a stream of water at the gloomy figure standing in front of her. To Chihiro's right, a cry from Chirashi was heard and someone yelling as well.

Chirashi was hit over the head, but she quickly struck back and punched the guard in the face. At the moment she wasn't thinking about using her powers. The ancient bird spirit just retaliated with her fists. Both Chirashi and Chihiro looked at each other for a moment, and then went back to attacking the people in front of them.

"What a surprise," mumbled Chihiro. "Guess this was a trap."

The multi powered spirit sighed and locked the guards arm.

* * *

Haku managed to get a trace of Chihiro's power lingering in the air, and the others continued to follow behind him. All that was left of the group at the moment was Kokatsuna, Okami and Hana. Lin and the two children were at the house.

The Goddess was following them as well; she was there to make sure her daughter got back safe, but also to assist the others in to getting into Kaze's castle. She also agreed to herself that she would not get involved in any true matter for the sake of revealing her presence, as well as endangering anyone around her. If the Goddess dared to engage in a fight with Juv for instance, the level of power would destroy everything around them. The last Great War had brought the Spirit World to its knees five thousand years ago. The Spirit World did not need to face the same turmoil it did then; however, the way things were working now, it looked as if history would repeat itself.

How Kaze got his power, she truly didn't know. The Lost Ones were supposed to protect this world, for heavens sake, she and the other gods put together the group of protectors. However, they should've considered the possibility of one of them breaking away or rebelling. Aria and the other gods had been watching over the group each passing day, and it should've been evident to them that this was going to occur.

Five thousand years of peace made the gods grow weary and dull.

There hadn't been enough problems to keep them up on their feet. Sure there were occasions where a small matter would come up, but nothing that totally caught their eyes. But now, this problem was slowly turning into a pool of hell. A lost one taking control of a High God, and even worse, a lost one having access to things that were only contained in legends. Aria knew that Kaze was hiding a few things, besides the obvious ones that she could tell by just looking at him. There were a total of five or six ancient wind spirits, and so far, the Winds of Memories had been used. The next of the ancient winds would be hard to predict considering all of them were scattered about the Spirit World.

Aria looked in the distance to see the Arcadian Mountains looming over the earth in the distance. Their momentous size truly showed compared to the low lying terrain that stretched around them.

"We are approaching the Ar-" suddenly the Goddess stopped talking for a moment. A strange sensation in the air had caught her attention.

"Is something wrong?" Haku asked as he glanced back at Aria.

"I think my daughter is past those mountains. I sense something, and it seems like a tinge of energy is hanging in the air."

"I don't sense anything," replied Haku.

The others replied the same way, saying no power lingered in the air; however, the Goddess told them to search the air harder. All of them honed in their senses on the breeze passing by them and tried to trace a single ounce of energy in the air.

The air remained quirt for a few moments; just the breeze bristling past their ears. Haku had very trained senses, although, the Goddess did indeed have senses that surpassed his own. He continued to concentrate intently on the energy in the air.

A moment later, he picked up on the individual energies around him. His body filled with a peculiar sensation, as of his nerves were being shocked by tiny electrical currents. The stronger the energy was, the bigger the connection he felt. Not wanting to concentrate on the energy of his friends, Haku managed to put the feelings in the back of his mind and continued to search the air.

After a minute or so, a shiver ran through his body. It electrified him, yet disturbed him at the same time. A tremendous amount of energy was concentrated in a single area ahead, located directly in the middle of the Arcadian Mountains. Haku now understood what the Goddess of Air was talking about. The ominous amount of energy up ahead was unnatural and disrupting.

"I sense it now," Haku stated.

"I feel it too," spoke Hana. *"The amount of energy is too much. Why is that?"

"It has to be Chihiro and Chirashi, but obviously there are other presences there. It has to be-"

"Kaze and Juv," finished the Goddess. "However, I feel there is something not right. There is a magic that I am not aware of; it is very foreign and unfamiliar.

"Is it bad?"

"No, Kohaku. It seems to be a neutral direction of the energy is directly north of here, we will arrive there soon enough. Ready yourselves. I am guessing that Kaze and Juv are certainly aware that we are on our way. There is no use in masking our powers now."

Haku gave a slight nod and tucked his arms close to his side. As Hana and Okami continued to run along the ground, Chirashi, Kokatsuna, Haku and the Goddess steadied themselves in the air. Haku summoned a tremendous amount of power and shot ahead of the ground. He rocketed through the air with a great velocity that the others stared in awe. Haku wasn't going to waste another second sitting around while Chihiro and Chirashi wandered a place where Kaze was.

Kaze wasn't about to get Chihiro now.

Or was he?

* * *

Chihiro breathed heavily and managed to whisper a spell. The ancient words flowed out of her mouth as her mind went blank for a few moments. The figure she saw looming in front of her evoked an anger that had lied within her for a while now. Chirashi stared at her friend with a concerned look on her face. She didn't know what was running through Chihiro's mind or what she was planning on doing at that moment.

"You," whispered Chihiro in an underlying tone.

The figure gave a chuckle and gave a sad smile. He held his staff at his side and kept his trained eyes on his daughter.

"Why are you so cruel?" Chihiro suddenly cried out. "Answer me!"

_Silence._

"What's going on down here?! Why are you working with Kaze?"

_Utter silence._

"Please...Answer me."

_Utter and painful silence._

The figure continued to stare at his daughter and remained silence. Silence was the best form of torture, right? All he did was lift his hand and point down a set of stairs that was located behind the two girls. He urged them to walk through the floor filled with unconscious guards and make their way down the set of stairs. The girls stared at his pointer finger then glanced at the stairs. The anger continued to rise in Chihiro, but Chirashi was entranced by the sight of Juv. She didn't have the slightest idea who he was. Well, she did, but his figure was completely different now in the darkness. Darkness crept towards him, making him look darker then the room itself.

"The stairs," he stated. "At the bottom, that is the hell you created."

* * *

**Not a long chapter, but it shall do for now. I'm trying to get back on track with my stories, and I really want to get this one up and running. Thank you for the people who continue to view my stories, views keep randomly spiking lately, like 300 or more a day. :D**

**Reviews are appreciated! :D So please...review :D Continue to favorite and I shall see you soon!**


	71. Notice: Please Read

**Hello, fellow readers. I wonder if any of you still remember me XD I know it's been a while, well a very long time to be exact, since I have updated this story. Honestly, time just seems to swallow you up and then you realize how much it has passed. I am just writing this to let you know that I am re reading my own story to refresh myself. I want to know this story like the back of my hand again and be able to deliver a chapter to you. My story is indeed is a little bit old, and the beginning chapters do have errors, but I promise you my writing has gotten better. I plan on correcting these errors once the story is back up and going. For all of you who have not read this before, I welcome you to Winds of the Lost. I shall have a chapter posted on October 25th,the latest, for this story. But for now, adios my friends, and see you all soon :)**


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